


A dragon that loves the cold

by paxbanana



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 13:36:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 51,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7173974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paxbanana/pseuds/paxbanana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katara and Azula navigate their way through Azula's coronation and planning their wedding. It might not be so hard, but Katara has to muddle her way through her expectations of being a Fire Lady too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Hail Fire Lord Azula!"

Katara watched as the ancient Fire Sage lifted the crest of the Fire Lord and slid it into Azula's hair. The movement looked fluid, but Katara had watched the metal supports braided into and then covered by Azula's hair, and she knew the crest had to be heavy.

Azula had said something about this being pure gold, versus the everyday one that was zinc. Katara didn't know why they didn't just start wearing crowns instead of those hairpieces. Zuko had stopped wearing his hair in a topknot except when in formalwear, something Katara overheard Ursa complaining about once. Azula went more often without, but 'more often' wasn't hard when she usually wore it every day.

Zuko didn't wear his Fire Lord hairpiece today, but he stood on the dais within touching distance of Azula. Apparently his hairpiece had sparked a few arguments between the royal siblings. Zuko wanted to stand with Azula to show he supported her, but he refused to wear his crest to undermine the fact that Azula was a fully-fledged Fire Lord. Azula disliked the thought of him not wearing his crest, 'as he was Fire Lord'; she'd said something about headless monarchs. Katara didn't really see how it mattered, but the Fire Nation was all about symbolism. And probably more about the fact that Zuko and Azula didn't know how to go a day without arguing with each other.

There were at least three painters at this event, but they were probably focusing on the blue dragon that was stretched along the eaves of Fire Sage temple. Rakka was fairly disinterested, but she was quiet and her bright eyes flickered across the courtyard. Occasionally she opened one wing to stretch it, prompting a few gasps from the onlookers. Katara was always fascinated to see the sparse veins that stretched through the soft membrane that spanned between the spines of her wings. Azula called them fingers.

Azula was probably pleased that her dragon gained as much attention as she did.

This courtyard was the place that Katara had defeated Azula, and now it was the place that Azula became Fire Lord. It would be the place they married here in the Fire Nation too. Katara liked the thought.

Ana had wanted to come. She'd seen them dressed up and had thrown a fit when she'd been left behind. On the way here, Azula had quietly said, "This is not something I want her to glorify."

Katara hadn't had time to comment. If Azula thought that not coming to this ceremony would keep Ana from wanting to mimic her, she was a fool. Ana wore sleeve-ties, she wanted her hair in a topknot, she wanted to wear Azula's makeup, and she wanted a hairpiece. She loved Azula, and seeing Azula wear new robes and a new hairpiece would mean she wanted to do exactly the same thing.

Maybe Ana would grow out of it. Probably not. That sparked a whole new set of worries about how disappointed Ana would be not to be able to firebend. So far she hadn't shown any aptitude for waterbending either. Not that Katara cared; she loved Ana as she was, and whether or not she was a bender was just a part of her. A Water Tribe princess of the Fire Nation… That was another set of unhappy worries that Katara pushed away.

Katara turned her attention back to Azula. She opened her sharp golden eyes and stood up. She looked huge standing next to the short, old Fire Sage. The robes were a lot heavier than what she usually wore, and with that crest on her head… Katara swallowed as she judged the fierce pride on Azula's face. She overshadowed Zuko right at that moment, even as she motioned for Zuko to stand beside her.

They looked so alike, despite Zuko's scar and Azula's makeup. The line of their jaws, the brightness of their eyes, and their glossy dark hair all folded into features that were handsome on Zuko and beautiful on Azula. The two Fire Nation sibling Fire Lords…fathered by different men. Katara didn't think that mattered in the least to them.

Azula's eyes found Katara's for a moment. Even with that foreign detachment on her face, Katara saw the woman she loved. Azula turned her eyes back to the crowd.

Unlike Zuko's coronation, this group was mainly Fire Nation. The ambassadors had all come though, including the jerk from Ba Sing Se who Katara didn't even like. Sokka, Katara, and Gran Gran were the Southern Water Tribe presence. Katara knew her father would have come, but she'd rather him make it for the wedding, an opinion that Azula shared. The biggest surprise appearance was Aang, who wore his full formal Air Tribe clothing and stood somberly to watch. He hadn't approached Katara, but he'd spoken quietly to Azula before the ceremony in full view of the watching crowd. Aang had smiled and bowed as he stepped away.

Now Azula folded her arms behind her and glanced across the courtyard. "I'm sure everyone expects a grandiose speech."

Katara didn't often think of what had happened five years ago anymore, but hearing Azula speak now… She managed to project her voice, but she wasn't hoarse. She'd been getting better and better, and Katara didn't think she'd had any of her opiate extract since the South Pole.

"I'm afraid I don't have time for speeches, and I'm sure most of you think this is a terrible idea. Thank you for coming anyway."

Just like that, Azula ended her own coronation on her terms.

Iroh laughed softly beside Katara. "That was unexpected."

Ursa heaved a dramatic sigh. "I swear, your daughter is impossible."

"I think she takes more after you, Ursa," Iroh said sagely. He smiled as soon as he said it, and Ursa only swatted him.

The crowd murmured in surprise as Azula and Zuko walked through them. Azula nodded to her parents and reached out to touch Katara's hand as she paused on her way to the waiting carriage. "I'll see you tonight. I'll try to be back before Ana goes to bed."

It had ceased to be an odd thought that Azula could be away all day even while still in the same building Katara was in. Katara brushed her finger over Azula's hand in reply. Azula turned and walked with Zuko to the open carriage awaiting them at the gates. The Dai Li and Royal Guards flanked the carriage, and the whole mass of them stepped out into the waiting crowds.

Katara had that to look forward to when they had their marriage ceremony here in a few months…or not look forward to at all.

"Hey, Aang," Sokka said. By his tone, it was more in warning for Katara.

She turned to him. Despite herself, she couldn't even summon much anger in the face of his obvious dejection. The stubborn part of herself wanted to hold everything against him forever, but she couldn't ignore the part she'd played in the entire mess. Not to mention Azula's part. Aang looked at her with quiet remorse, and despite herself, she felt a surge of guilt to match his. He said, "You don't have to say anything. I wanted to give you this." He handed her a letter. "I'm sorry. I can't say how sorry I am."

He nodded to Sokka, bowed to Iroh, and started at the fierce glare on Ursa's face.

"Are you going to read it?" Sokka asked her in the carriage.

Katara touched the paper folded in her sleeve. One thing these crazy robes did was provide plenty of places to hide things. Azula still liked to carry her dragon knife in her sleeve sometimes. It made Katara feel better about wearing her water bladder all the time.

"Maybe. Eventually. Not right now."

Aang had already done the right thing: he hadn't pushed. He'd come to support Azula and put the fish in Katara's figurative net. She was going to send him an invitation to the wedding, but she wasn't sure if she would write a personal note in that invitation or not.

Or perhaps she was just still pretending she wouldn't.

"Are there any more plans for today?" Kanna asked. She'd been surprisingly active while here, but she was a busy woman in the South Pole. There was a lot to see in Capital City, and Katara doubted she would return to the Fire Nation again.

"Azula said something about a performance tonight."

"Theater?"

"No, not theater," Ursa interjected. "A kato drum performance. Not to my taste, but Azula has always loved them, even as a toddler."

This wasn't something Katara had heard of, despite Azula apparently enjoying it. "What is it?"

Ursa said, "Half-naked men and women beating on drums and firebending. If your ears don't ring when you leave, they've failed."

"I look forward to the half-naked women," Iroh said. Ursa pinched him.

Azula probably liked the half-naked women too. Katara wasn't sure how to feel about it.

* * *

 

'Half-naked' didn't do it justice. The men wore a piece of clothing that covered their privates connected together by a few pieces of string. Their butts were bare. The women wore that and something equally revealing across their breasts.

Katara stared. They were all oiled up too. They were all muscular and tanned by the sun. No wonder Iroh had been so anticipatory. Katara appreciated their shapes, but mostly in how they resembled Azula's hardened body. Katara's thoughts wandered to what Azula would look like tanned and oiled up…

Azula leaned close, bringing with her spicy scent and her delicious voice. It all got even more sensual with her quiet words, despite how mundane the words were. "These drums were created back in ancient times to lead the soldiers' march. A variety of beats signaled for the troupes to attack, withdraw, to press on, that allies or enemies were coming."

"Why the red paint?"

"To outline scars," Azula said quietly. "All of these men and women served."

To Azula, serving in the military was akin to becoming a responsible member of society, probably in the way that ice dodging or sitting on a whaling kayak defined respected tribe members in the South Pole. Katara had always thought the Fire Nation's love for war had started with Sozin. She'd been terribly wrong. From the bits and pieces Azula had given her about this country's history through the years, the Fire Nation's very foundation was of war. Even now in peacetime there were still little wars that took place in the capital, but they were political and social wars.

Katara loved Azula, and she trusted her not to be warmongering, but Katara had no doubt if someone launched an attack on the Fire Nation, Azula would be at the head of a fleet of warships to put that force down. And she wouldn't have any qualms about it either; Azula would relish in the opportunity.

What Katara feared most was Azula's characterization of war: that sacrifice and dignity came in the face of death. Katara would rather die in peace with her family nearby. But then again, Azula would be cremated and Katara would be given back to the sea.

It was not something they'd ever discussed, and back when Azula was closest to death, Katara hadn't let herself believe it would happen. She wondered now if they could reach a compromise with what would happen to their remains.

All these worries were making her morose.

Katara looked back at the man in front and center who was almost entirely red. He, like Azula, carried the majority of his scars on his left side. Azula might be as outlined as that man if she were made-up like him. It had taken years of being Azula's lover to find each irregularity of Azula's skin. For the most part her scars were small and difficult to spot, but they were numerous. The sad thing was, probably only a handful had come during the war. Most of them had come from Ozai.

The crouched men and women stood together and strode a few paces to their drums in a coordinated shift. There were lots of different sizes of drums, including one so huge that Katara had overlooked it as a piece of the stage.

They began to drum, flexing muscles and bringing up a burst of noise that thundered through her chest and brought tears to her eyes. At various moments in the deep, sonorous rhythm they pounded into their instruments, the men and women bellowed.

Katara felt the fierce spirit of the performance. This was war and battle, especially when the drummers dropped their heads back to give a bellow that also produced fire.

This was so Fire Nation, but it was beautiful.

The drummers pounded harder into a heady crescendo until finally the performance was almost too loud to hear at all. All of their heads were thrown back entirely, and they drummed without sight, bellowing fire more and more. The heat of the performance made Katara start sweating even up here in the royal balcony.

The leader, the red-painted scarred man, threw back his head. On the last thunderous note, he breathed a burst of blue fire.

It wasn't as bright as Azula's fire; it was almost clear instead of blue. The meaning was certain: he was honoring Azula. Or Katara thought so. Azula could take offense to the strangest things sometimes.

In the silence that echoed after the burst of the performance, Katara's first breath came in a gasp. All of the lamps had been brought down just before the drummers started their performance, and now the entire theater sat in darkness.

And then, the drummers started again.

Four times they built up to a crescendo that ended with a heavy thunderous rumble and a burst of blue fire breathed from the leader.

Katara itched at the unlucky number, but the Fire Nation loved the number that designated death. The Fire Nation loved the act of dying well. When other cultures did what they could to avoid that number, the Fire Nation relished it.

They sat in powerful dark silence for a long few minutes before the drummers began to chant. This time they did not beat drums, and they did not breathe fire. Instead, the lamps were slowly raised, and the stage was bathed in soft light. The drummers stood up on stage. They were all sweating through the strange oil they'd been slicked in, and their muscles were bunched and defined after their exertion. Katara noticed that their abdominal muscles flexed and swelled with each breath. Like Azula, these people breathed from their diaphragm, not their ribs.

They lifted their arms and bowed in a final coordinated move.

Finally the audience applauded.

Katara had been wrong. They had one more shift. The performers shifted on one heel, moved their hands into the fist below the fist, and bowed to the royal box.

Azula stood up, folded her arms behind her back, and lowered her head in the half-nod she used to bow. Immediately the audience was on its feet. Katara couldn't tell if they were applauding the drummers or Azula now. She glanced over at the other people in their box. They didn't rise so Katara didn't either.

Was this some sort of weird etiquette thing she was blind to?

After some amount of time, Azula sat back down. Applause continued, but Azula paid them no mind. She met Katara's eyes; by the gentle softness of her face, she was happy with the performance. "Did you enjoy it?"

"I'm not sure 'enjoy' is the right word. That was moving. Why were they oiled up?"

Azula smiled, and it was a real smile given the twitch of her right ear. "It's not oil. It's a fire retardant."

"Oh." That was pretty safety-conscious, almost too much so to be realistic for the Fire Nation. Azula seemed to guess her incredulity. She explained, "These men and women are artisans. This is their life's work, and one injury could wreck their entire season."

Katara felt childish to ask, "How long do we have to stay?"

"We don't have to stay. Are you tired?"

She was, but mainly Katara wanted Azula all to herself, something she hadn't had all day. Azula had been gone when she'd woken up, probably training earlier than Katara ever wanted to wake up. Azula had come back to their apartment and they were rushed and primped for the coronation, and then she'd come back that night just in time to kiss Ana goodnight and change her clothing for this performance.

And the performance made Katara feel so alien.

"It's been a long day."

Just like that, they were on their way home.

In the carriage, Azula closed the privacy screen and settled close to Katara to wrap her arm around her shoulders. She sighed as she leaned against Katara's ear. Apparently Katara wasn't the only tired one.

"How do you feel?"

"I have a headache from the hairpiece," Azula said dryly.

"Can you do it? You and Zuko I mean?"

"Certainly, but given such a thing has never been done before… It will be difficult to wangle."

Katara lifted her head; she was completely diverted. "To what?"

Azula didn't lift her head. "Wangle. Obtain, usually by engineering events."

Katara giggled. Azula sighed heavily on her shoulder. That particular sigh heralded an exaggerated eye-roll.

"What?!" Katara gasped. "It's a really funny sounding word."

It sort of reminded her of the uncomfortable process of inseminating Azula. No matter how uncomfortable though, Katara felt a queer shiver of ownership that she'd been the person to do it.

Both of them had been surprised to see Sokka in their den a week ago. It didn't take long to realize he'd come as much about the dragon and Aang's actions as their request. He'd had good timing though. Azula had been in her fertile days; she had a surprisingly regular cycle despite her heavy workouts. They'd gotten three sessions in, but it didn't seem like they would manage any more until next month. Sokka had left after the coronation that afternoon, but he promised to be back early for the wedding so they would try again then…if they needed to.

Katara rubbed a gentle circle just above Azula's pubic bone. There was no softness there, only hard muscle. She'd lost what little fat she'd had since she'd started firebending again. Azula had never carried much to begin with, but now her abdominal muscles were in sharp relief. "Did you eat today?"

"I'm not a child—" Azula pursed her lips at the warning look on Katara's face. "Yes. I ate three full meals."

Katara kissed those pouting lips, and Azula cupped the back of her neck to hold her still and draw out that kiss. Oh… Someone was eager to get back.

By the time they got to the palace, Azula was panting against her neck. They detangled and stepped out of the carriage. Katara hoped her desires weren't plain on her face. At least the palace was dim this time of night.

When they stepped into their apartment, Katara reached out to take Azula's hand and pull her into their bedroom. Katara was only thinking about Azula's mouth right now: her lips and teeth and tongue. She was going to put that mouth to good use, maybe with Azula still wearing that hairpiece and nothing else. The thought alone made Katara shiver.

A small, surprising voice gasped, "Azuwa!"

Azula and Katara turned. Ana ran out of their bedroom. They stopped and stared at the little girl standing in their sitting room. Even in the dim light of the room, Katara could tell Ana was covered in makeup. She'd smeared lipstick all over her chin and mouth, and she had eye-stain across her cheeks. Katara wasn't sure what to think for a moment.

Ana was supposed to be asleep in her newly converted bedroom. By the darkness of Gran Gran's room, she was asleep. Had Azula's staff not realized what had happened? As if on cue, Azula's majordomo stepped into the room, gave a gasp of horror and quickly retreated.

Katara glanced at Azula. She was silent, looking at Ana expressionlessly.

"Ana… You should be asleep."

"Am I pretty?" she asked with a big grin. Her teeth were stained red too.

"You're beautiful," Azula said gently, accepting Ana's hug. "But Fire Nation princesses should wipe their faces clean before they go to bed. Why don't you let your mother do that so you can sleep like you're supposed to be doing?"

After Katara cleaned Ana's face and changed her clothes—she'd gotten makeup all over her clothes too—she put Ana to bed and ventured to their bedroom. Azula's hairpiece had been tossed carelessly on the bed. Katara picked it up for fear of one of them sitting on it. She pricked a finger on one sharp edge experimentally. Yep, that would hurt. Maybe it was better they hadn't tried out her little fantasy.

She glanced around to see Azula was leaning over her vanity. Katara gasped. Every carefully kept makeup container on its surface was completely destroyed. There was makeup everywhere.

Azula's shoulders were shaking.

Was she angry?

Katara put her hand on Azula's shoulder, and when Azula shifted, Katara realized she was laughing. She was laughing silently in a way she rarely did. Azula pointed to the mirror. Katara glanced up and started at the sight of herself. Her neck and face were covered in lipstick. When Azula lifted her head, she looked similarly disheveled.

Azula gasped, "We look just like Ana!"

Katara started giggling. Azula grabbed onto Katara's sleeve and buried her face against Katara's shoulder, silently laughing…too hard to say anything else apparently. "She…"

"I don't think I've ever seen you laugh this hard," Katara pointed out. She was giggling more from Azula's merriment than her own amusement. In fact, she was a little embarrassed by the fact she looked like Azula had attacked her with makeup. She pulled away to wet a small towel to wipe her neck and face clean.

Azula took big breaths, and her laughter eased into giggles. "Oh… I'm not sure I have."

"You need to kiss her goodnight."

"I know. I'm just…" Azula cleared her throat and carefully wiped her eyes—not that there was much point given the lipstick smeared across her jaw. Katara reached out with the wet towel to wipe Azula's face clean. Azula smirked into that towel. "I'm a little afraid I'm going to laugh."

"What's the matter with that?" It was going to be hard to scold Ana for this, despite the enormous mess she'd made.

"Makeup is not a toy. That lip-stain is special ordered; it will take weeks before I can get more delivered." Then Azula's lips started to twitch. Katara kissed her gently.

Miza saw to Azula's hair, a few more staff members came to clean up the makeup mess, and Azula soon after left the room to say goodnight to Ana and returned a few minutes later. Katara managed to dismiss Miza, who was finally learning that Katara didn't like another person hovering around her bedroom. She released her hair, tossed her hairpiece on the vanity, and gathered her hair into a much more comfortable loose wolftail at her neck. Katara changed into her sleeping robe and walked out on the balcony to give Rakka a rub. It seemed to discourage a nighttime visit from the giant dragon that still coveted their bed.

She stopped, stared, and called out, "Azula!"

Azula spoke from within the room. "What?" She walked through the bedroom and said, "We should commission some clear lip balm for Ana. That might satiate her need to use my ma—"

Azula stood beside Katara and stared at her dragon speechlessly.

Rakka had pink lipstick smeared across her snout, and her furry face had a dusting of powder. Ana must have climbed on her to do this. Katara warred between wanting to laugh and being horrified that Ana had been climbing on the balcony like this. They'd put up high railings and screened in the gaps between the rails, but if Rakka had decided to fly away from the assault of makeup or if she decided to retaliate…

Katara had a few shivers of fear even though she'd witnessed how gentle Rakka could be.

Azula apparently didn't have the same thought. She started to laugh again. She didn't stop for a long time, even as they both carefully cleaned Rakka's face. At odd intervals she started giggling in bed that night, even when they were making love. Katara could already tell she would be the one who would have to sit down and have a talk about not playing with Azula's stuff. Or being on the balcony without adult supervision. Or climbing on a dragon.

Katara sighed and was nearly asleep when Azula began to laugh again.


	2. Muma District

Pakku sat on the ice, waving his hand lazily over a steaming cup of tea. He looked up and smiled in his particular subdued way. He motioned with his free hand for Katara to sit across from him.

Pakku poured Katara a cup of tea, and she waved her hand slowly to turn liquid to steam. It was a surprisingly difficult thing. Steam was nothing, but such a small amount of water required adding water vapor while still keeping the tea steaming hot. It was especially difficult to keep the brew from becoming dilute from cycling of new water through it.

Pakku smiled as he watched Katara's wrist rotate. "Too big," he chided quietly. "Soften your movements; use your fingers, not your wrist."

Katara corrected herself consciously. The movement felt unnatural; she had to focus on it wholly for a few minutes before she could turn her mind to other things. When she lifted her head, Pakku smiled at her. He looked so good and strong, like he'd been before he was sick. "And how is my headstrong student?"

"I miss you." The words sprang more from affection than sadness.

He smirked. "Really? You miss my insufferable, camel-headed jackass self?"

Embarrassment flooded her. He'd made her particularly mad the day she'd said that, but he'd dissolved her anger by cackling hysterically at the description. "Yes, I do. Gran Gran misses you."

His smile shifted completely. Love had softened him…just a little bit. "I trust you'll take care of her when she needs it. How is your wife?"

"Good," Katara said quietly. "She's pregnant."

He raised one eyebrow. "It will be a fun nine months for you with that woman pregnant." Some of his old sexism showed clear with that sarcastic statement.

"She's Fire Lord," Katara went on to say. She smiled as she thought of the choice Azula had made for her. "But she and Zuko are going to work together. She promised we'd go back to the South Pole every year—for a few months, not just a little trip." She hesitated. "But I'm afraid. I'm going to be Fire Lady, but I have no idea what that means."

Pakku smiled. His hand rotated, and he bent the steam with his palm up, a skill Katara was still working on. "I would think the first duty would be being a wife to the Fire Lord."

Oh. That made it so simple, separated from alien concepts of duties, management, aristocracy. Katara relaxed completely for the first time since they'd arrived on Capital Island. It was as if she'd shed a massive weight from her shoulders. She attempted to copy Pakku's palm up technique. He clucked. "Waterbending is not solely reliant upon the wrist. Fingers, Katara."

She stuck her tongue out but concentrated on her movements again. "I love you, Pakku."

His smile softened. "I love you too, my girl. Enjoy life."

"Wait!" she said.

He cocked his head. "We'll speak again, my dear."

It wasn't a matter of emergency anymore. Katara relaxed and concentrated on the teacup in front of her.

She woke up with the sun on her face. Katara rolled over and lifted her head when her hand touched Azula's thigh. Azula was sitting up in bed reading. Tonk was curled up on a pillow next to her.

"Good morning," Azula said with a gentle look.

Katara relaxed back onto her pillow and sighed. This was a rare treat. Even when Azula lived on Ember Island, Katara rarely woke up with Azula still in bed. She reached up to give Tonky a little scratch, and the cat yawned and stretched.

"You're here, Tonky."

"Only because Kanna is somewhere else. Your grandmother stole my cat."

Katara gave Tonky a long stroke and sighed, amused but too sleepy to retort to Azua's silly assertion. "What time is it?"

"A little past the eighth hour."

Katara sat up and rubbed her face. "Ana didn't get me up."

"She got me up," Azula said without any heat. If that was true, Azula had slept in…for her at least. Ana got up at an unholy hour too. Azula flipped the page of her book. "Mom has her for the morning. I thought we might go out for lunch in the noble district with Ana and Kanna later."

Katara pushed away the mass of hot hair that had fallen across her face. "You aren't working today?"

Azula turned her intense gaze on Katara, but her lashes flickered over her eyes as she focused on Katara's breasts, then her face. Her lips curved in the faintest suggestion of a smile, which made Katara feel soft and hot all at once. She looked so young and soft without makeup. "Not today."

"Where's Gran Gran?"

The book once again had Azula's attention. "Iroh took her to a tea sampling boutique in the harbor district. It's a quaint little place, but they serve a few vile brews that Iroh enjoys."

"When will they be back?"

"Not until lunch."

Well…they had plenty of time then. Katara settled with her head in Azula's lap. It was comfortable until Azula used her head as a bookrest. "Hey!"

Azula adopted a lordly tone. "I'm not a pillow."

Katara made a rude noise as she pulled away, but she shifted up the bed to rest her head on Azula's shoulder instead. The book in Azula's hands was written in the Fire Nation phonetic script, but none of the words made any sense. Judging by the sonorous zu, za, and li sounds, it was in the old tongue. "What are you reading?"

"This is a compilation of several old texts about dragons, especially interesting because one account describes a type of dragon similar to Rakka. It was originally written a thousand years ago, but it may prove useful."

Katara marveled that Azula could use so much language to say: 'about dragons'. "Where did she come from?"

"An egg."

She couldn't hold back her irritated sigh, emotion in part originating from the fact Azula didn't seem to think she was privy to this information. "Just a random egg that Zuko touched? Iroh said something about protecting other dragons."

Azula raised an eyebrow. Katara mirrored her expression. "I swear you think I'm stupid sometimes."

Azula sighed in similar irritation. "No. I thought you had some awareness that this was highly sensitive information."

"I'm not going to betray your secret. I want to know what happened to you."

Azula took a long breath, rubbing her fingertips over Katara's hand. It almost surprised Katara when she spoke. "Aang flew me to a small island near the border of the Fire Nation. He left me on a beach that opened into an ancient city. I won't bore you with details about the architecture."

"Consisting of booby-traps apparently." Katara's eyes found the scar that marked Azula's ear.

"Ah, yes. And a dragon monument. And a broken hall that had statues lined up in Zuko's dragon dancing form. There was a gaping hole in the center of that room. I realize now that Rakka must have been born out of that hole and caused all the destruction I saw that day.

"On the other side of the city, there were signs of life—of people hastily relocating. Beyond the city was jungle leading up to caves. From those caves came Rakka. She…kindled my fire perhaps. Seeing her… I should have been afraid. I would have been afraid, had I thought of you. But I didn't."

Despite herself, Katara got it. She understood, though there was still a small ache that she was so easily abandoned.

"We fought, and that fight turned into a dance. At the end of it, she carried me past the clouds and brought me back down safely. Then she took me into her mouth and anointed me with fire. I woke up at night, all my clothing burned away, and realized I would have to swim to the nearest island and hope someone was there."

"Kyoshi's tits, Azula," Katara gasped in horror. She remembered the horror she felt seeing Rakka turn that hot breath on Azula in the South Pole, then the wonder of seeing her wife—naked, unharmed, and so powerful—turn that fire right back. That horror was oddly less than the thought of Azula merrily swimming her way out to open ocean. She was lucky she didn't attract a shark or serpent.

"It was stupid," Azula admitted. "Besting a dragon causes some feelings of grandeur apparently. Lo and behold, a fisherman was out at sea fishing. He said he'd caught a mermaid, and his people saw me to a port nearby where I met Verack and Hama. You know the rest."

Katara intertwined her fingers with Azula's. "Now I wish I hadn't asked. Mai had always said you're indestructible."

"The scars I bear suggest otherwise." Azula kissed her hand. "But for your other question: Rakka was produced from an egg from the oldest remaining dragons. Zuko describes them as similar, with the addition of tusks. Apparently they're over twice as large as my dragon, but she still has some growing to do."

"Wow." Katara couldn't imagine a dragon twice as large as Rakka. "Where are the oldest dragons?"

"Away, someplace safe. The place is best left unsaid."

"A booby-trapped island in the middle of nowhere."

Azula's full lips shifted in a smile. "Yes, indeed. Or they should be now that their headstrong daughter has decided to grace us with her presence here in Capital City."

Katara glanced across to the filmy curtains that cut off their bedroom from the balcony, trying to picture something as large as Rakka doubled in size. With tusks. There Rakka stretched out in the sun patch. "She sure is lazy."

"She's napping, just as you were a few minutes ago."

"Another ostrich horse?" Katara guessed it was a post-breakfast nap.

"She likes them." Azula's smirk belied her admittance, "I have had a few horrified thoughts of her deciding to snack on an ostrich horse attached to a carriage. Maybe all of the nobles will be persuaded to use bicycles."

Katara snorted at the thought. She got up to attend to her morning toilet and returned to distract Azula from her book with a kiss that deepened and immediately sparked Azula's interest. She gave Azula a quick peck and drew away, provoking a soft noise of protest. "So, we have all morning to ourselves."

Azula put down her book.

It was a little sad Katara was so smug to beat a book, but she'd take it as a victory. How did she find such a bookworm wife?

Katara tossed the sheets over her head and wiggled under them. Azula made a noise of surprise when Katara yanked at the soft silk pants under her robe. As if she should be surprised. Azula started to laugh as Katara stripped her and pushed aside her robe. "I was hoping for a few more of those kisses," she said.

"I am kissing you," Katara retorted as she kissed between Azula's legs.

She was musky and spicy and already wet. Apparently Azula had been anticipating their free time too. As always, Azula was quick to come the first time. Her fingers dug into Katara's hair, pushing away as Azula's hips jerked back. So sensitive… It would only be a few minutes of gentle stimulation until she could come again.

What a lovely morning activity.

Much later, Azula complained, "I'll have to bathe again."

She would. They both would; they were sweaty and covered in each other's musk. Unlike neat-freak Azula, Katara enjoyed the feeling. At least here Katara didn't have to worry about things like changing their bedding.

"Come on then, Princess."

"I'm not a Princess anymore," Azula said snootily, but she followed Katara into the bath.

They washed each other—teasing and laughing and getting more soap on the floor than each other. Katara was hungry, but she wasn't willing to break the pleasure of soaking in the sunken bath in Azula's arms. The water was warm on her skin, a wonderful contrast to the always-cool air of the bathing chamber. Katara wasn't sure how they ventilated the palace to keep it cool in the year-round heat of the Fire Nation, but this room was a prime example of how well they managed.

Katara kissed the soft skin of Azula's neck. She drew back and smirked. They'd both taken off their necklaces to bathe, and Azula had a faint tan-line from hers.

She'd wondered if Azula would wear it here and made up her mind not to be bothered one way or the other. That had been a lie, of course. It still felt good that the Water Tribe necklace was always on Azula's neck unless she was training or in bed. It was a little bit of ownership, a mark to everyone in the Fire Nation that Azula was her wife.

The skin on Azula's stomach was soft, even if her muscles were hard beneath. Katara pressed her palm against that body and concentrated.

"Do you feel anything?"

"Not yet." Katara kissed her neck again. It was a bit of a lie, but the changes weren't dramatic yet. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," Azula said quietly.

Katara raised her head; she was surprised by that answer. "Why?"

Azula wouldn't meet her eyes. "It's early. I know this early, embryos are often spontaneously aborted—"

'Embryo'? Probably a way that Azula kept herself from becoming emotionally attached. Katara put her hand over Azula's mouth and met her eyes. "That's why we're being quietly optimistic. Don't worry about something you can't control. Concentrate on family and your work. Okay?"

"I didn't expect to already be this invested," Azula murmured. She looked so soft and gentle. Katara kissed her mouth softly. Maybe she just didn't have the same perspective. Right now her thoughts and worries centered around Azula only.

Katara was nearing her second cycle since returning to the Fire Nation. Azula hadn't had any. She was probably counting the estimated days, while Katara relied more on vague feeling of Azula's body going through preparations for pregnancy.

"Everything will work out."

"Should I be doing anything differently?"

Katara cupped Azula's face, feeling a soft flush of renewed love for this vulnerable version of her lover. So often fierce and prideful and vicious—especially after regaining her fire—Azula was all sweet emotion and yearning this morning. "Eat well; drink plenty of water."

"I've been avoiding certain foods and drinks."

Ling, the royal physician, had long since suggested a diet avoiding raw foods, stimulants, and alcohol for pregnancies. Katara had taken those suggestions to the women she saw here in Capital City with good result. Azula had probably eaten that diet since she was a kid so Katara had few worries. She never drank and she rarely had any sort of stimulants in her tea, even caffeine.

"Are you still sparring?"

"No."

Of course she wasn't. Katara kissed her again. "Then I think you're doing fine."

* * *

When they stepped out of the carriage for lunch that afternoon, Katara glanced around. She didn't recognize this district. And then she saw the women in face-paint.

Azula had brought them to Muma District—the district of prostitution—for lunch. Them, meaning Katara, a toddler, and her grandmother and a cluster of Dai Li guards that shadowed them loosely.

Before she jumped to conclusions, Katara glanced around once more. She'd expected it to be a place with rundown buildings and naked women who lay out on the street soliciting business. Instead, the buildings were old and small, and they were dressed up with a variety of colored decorations. The women were all dressed up too, carrying flowery parasols and fans and wearing bright flowery robes. A few of them wore stark makeup too: white face and red lips and eye-shadow with a streak of red along each cheek.

Come to think of it, the Painted Lady had resembled that. Had she accidentally dressed up as a prostitute when she impersonated the famous spirit? It certainly painted the legend differently. Katara wanted to groan at herself for that unintentional pun. She sounded like Sokka.

"Is this a good idea?" she asked Azula quietly, willing to give the benefit of the doubt now that she'd seen Muma.

Azula raised one dark eyebrow with a pointed look. She was wearing makeup for the afternoon, and it included black stain on her eyelashes. Instead of her usual black or red, she was wearing a deep blue tunic that Katara had bought her. It emphasized her golden eyes even more, especially with her hair drawn into a high wolftail instead of a formal topknot. She had no right to look this sexy. "Whatever sordid outing you're thinking of isn't going to happen in this district during the day."

Katara sighed. Ana abruptly didn't want to walk anymore, but Azula solved the problem by putting her on her shoulders. It was really hard to be irritated with Azula when she was being steered by a little girl tugging on her ears.

Then Katara noticed how all of the women of the district were watching Azula. Some twirled their parasols and giggled. Some bowed. This was _ridiculous_. It made Katara's head hot to see these…hussies flirt with Azula with Katara _standing right here._

"Hello, pretty girl," one woman called, but she waved at Ana, who waved back at her.

This was ridiculous.

"Princess—er, sorry, Fire Lord!" came a much different call. They all paused to watch a familiar woman jog up to them. It was Laza's wife, Kili, the most practical woman in all of the Fire Nation as far as Katara was concerned. A business woman and a mongoose dragon farm manager, she had to be practical. She gave a quick bow to Azula and turned to Katara.

"Hi, Katara," she said. She smiled, and Katara reached out for a hug.

"Kili, how are you?"

Kili wrinkled her nose in a vague scowl. She had a pleasant sort of face with dark eyes, which was a good contrast to Laza's fragile beauty. "Laza said she'd meet me for lunch and left me sitting here for an hour. Probably got caught up at the fundraiser brunch and forgot all about me."

"Join us," Katara offered. It was out of self-preservation. She needed a regular, grounded human being with all the craziness of the last few weeks. Planning a wedding got even more complicated now that it had turned into a wedding to a Fire Lord. She also had at least two appointments per week with expecting women and the whole new task of figuring out how to be Fire Lady.

The Fire Lady had duties, didn't she? Mai hadn't been helpful with her answer to Katara's question. She'd said 'stuff' and rolled her eyes. Katara wasn't quite desperate enough to ask Ursa yet. She knew in the very least she had to start learning about etiquette and maybe even government. The former was the most terrifying.

Maybe Laza could give her a little information… Maybe it was time to finally meet with her privately.

The thought of being Fire Lady wasn't as scary as it had been when they'd first returned to the capital. But it was still terrifying. Katara was way out of her element here. She just didn't have the…sheer largeness of presence and uppity attitude that kind of station seemed to require. Mai didn't give a shit, but she still managed to make it 'not giving a royal shit'. If Katara tried that, it would be 'not giving a peasant's fart'.

Kili must have seen the wish for company on Katara's face because she grinned and said, "Oh, well, thanks. Might as well fill up my suddenly free afternoon."

Katara introduced her grandmother and Ana. Gran Gran must have liked the woman because she said, "Call me Gran Gran."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Gran Gran," Kili said without batting an eyelash. "Hello, Princess Ana. Do you like the Fire Nation?"

Ana was on a tear that day—threw a screaming fit earlier when Azula revoked her right to wear her new pink lipstain—and immediately pronounced, "No!"

"Sometimes I don't like it either," Kili said before Katara could chastise Ana. "Especially when my wife forgets about meeting me for lunch. She's going to be so mad when I tell her I saw you all."

They started walking again, and Azula said, "Ana, Kili rides mongoose dragons every day."

Oh, no. Ana's body stiffened in delight, and she began to talk so quickly it was more gibberish than words. Kili listened carefully. "They are fun," she said at last. "But they're dangerous. A little boy once snuck onto my farm to ride a mongoose dragon, and he got hurt really badly. One of his legs is made out of wood now. Do you want one of your legs to be wood?"

The story scared Katara more than it scared Ana. Had the mongoose dragon _eaten_ a boy's leg? Only in the Fire Nation… The Southern Water Tribe was practical enough not to try to ride polar bear dogs, but the Fire Nation just loved their dangerous animals. As Katara's chest went cold at the thought, Ana giggled and said, "Yes!"

"Ana, no you don't," Katara told her.

"I don't know," Azula supplied. Katara tried to pin her with a glare, but she continued on. "It seems like it could be useful. I once heard of a man in the sixth fleet who hid a sword in his wooden leg. I'm not sure how he would use it appropriately hopping on one leg though."

Gran Gran laughed, and Katara couldn't smother her grin at the thought. Azula met her eyes, and her full lips twitched in amusement too.

"No, you're lying."

"I never lie," Azula said. She managed to keep a straight face until she met Katara's eyes.

"It's true," Kili said. "At least the leg thing. My aunt served with him for a couple years. His name's Hun. You'll never guess where he lives now." Kili paused for effect. "He lives on Peg Island."

Azula showed her teeth in a real laugh, but her face settled soon after into that straight look of formality. It should have been silly with a child sitting on her shoulders, but Azula could probably manage to be dignified walking down the street naked.

Kili cleared her throat as she watched the prostitutes wink and flirt as they walked by. "I never get this much attention alone."

As she spoke, a prostitute walked towards them with purpose, unlike the giggling women that skirted them. She held Azula's eyes and then bowed. "Fire Lord! It's a delight to see you in our district today. Hello to you, Princess," she said to Ana.

Ana ducked her head against Azula's hair with a shy smile. How alien that she responded to the title. And that she looked the part in her pointed boots, tunic and sash, and half-flame hairpin. For the first time, the change made Katara uneasy—that she'd lose her little girl before she got to know her in the first place.

"How are you, Hojima?" Azula asked.

Katara's brain leapt to a new source of horror. Azula knew this woman's name. She _knew her name_.

"Quite well. Hazana is so happy you've come to visit our little teahouse." The woman, Hojima, paused to bow to Katara. She said, "Lady Katara. I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting. And you must be Lady Kanna and Princess Ana."

Katara was going to murder Azula. She tried to smile as she said, "How do you know Azula?"

"We've done business before."

How the hell could she react to that revelation? But Azula quietly said, "Ozai."

All of Katara's anger at Azula drained out. She was befuddled as she processed it. Azula had hired prostitutes to sleep with Ozai? That was…disgusting. She couldn't wrap her brain around it. She decided not to think about it at all.

They continued their leisurely walk, and Azula's face hardened further with every flirtation by the prostitutes that walked by. It felt a little like a setup. There must be a hundred women that just so happened to wander down this street right now. Kili, in contrast, wore a dopey grin and waved back to the women that greeted them.

Thankfully for Katara's blood pressure they reached their destination in a few blocks. Go figure, she was happy to arrive at figurative brothel.

The building looked tiny, one in an unbroken row along the street side, though this little house was painted a soft green color. Katara had a bit of trepidation of what they would find inside, despite the fairly tasteful decor. It had a simple sign that designated the business and the names of the two prostitutes of the house: Hazana, Hojima.

The small entryway was also tasteful, though it was dark after the brightness of the afternoon. It smelled pleasantly of tea and spices. The woman waiting for them inside wore her hair mostly down except for the bare strip of flesh on the nape of her neck. She bowed in an elaborate way. Katara didn't think for a second that Azula would approve of that flamboyant style, but Azula regarded the woman with a look Katara had learned meant appreciation.

When the woman straightened, Katara was surprised by her beauty. She was like Azula: stark and sculpted with facial features that were defined by her black eyebrows and her black hair. She looked beautiful and dangerous in one, and this woman knew it. Her lips were full, but they weren't shaped like Azula's natural pout. Those painted lips quirked into a faint smile as she turned her amber eyes to Azula.

"Fire Lord… It's always such a pleasure to meet with you."

The woman's voice was smooth and sweet. Katara sensed that voice could hide great cruelty.

Katara hated her.

She could picture Azula with this woman who was all Fire Nation. They would fit together, match, and look very beautiful standing side by side. This sort of woman would be a perfect Fire Lady. She made Katara feel frumpy and simple.

How could Katara be Fire Lady if she felt cowed by a whore?

Azula touched Katara's arm as Hazana and Hojima led them into a surprisingly long room. She leaned close and spoke into Katara's ear. "These women don't just sell their bodies. They study the past and recreate it. That bow was archaic, but it was perfectly executed. They are art, history, and pure nationality." She turned her head slightly and continued. "These women are also deeply loyal within their houses. Hazana and Hojima are not bound by blood or by love, but they would give their lives for each other."

That alone was probably attractive to Azula.

"Why are we here?"

"Music and entertainment and very good food."

"We could get that in the noble district."

"These women deserve our business," Azula said gently. "I want to reward and preserve them if only to keep a piece of our past alive."

"I don't like…" Katara pinched her statement off. She didn't like that Azula knew these women. It made her feel vulnerable. Azula's brow wrinkled as she touched Katara's elbow.

"It makes me uncomfortable," Katara said quietly. "Especially with Ana here."

"This isn't a brothel. It's a teahouse." Azula frowned, seeing Katara was still uneasy. "But if there's any hint of impropriety, we'll leave."

Katara took a long breath and nodded. "Okay."

* * *

As it turned out, Hojima softly played a lute, and Hazana did a short, traditional dance within the confines of the room as a young serving girl laid out a set of dishes. Ana enjoyed the performance, as did Azula. Katara could appreciate it as art, but she wasn't interested in being entertained by these women. She wanted nothing to do with them.

At least the food was delicious.

"What is this?" Gran Gran asked, touching a dish with her chopsticks.

"Octopus," Azula replied. "It's fairly chewy, but I enjoy it."

Gran Gran chewed on it for a moment. She smiled, an expression that made Katara glad she'd suggested Gran Gran make this trip in the first place. "Ah, like squid."

"They're both cephalopods." As if anyone knew what that meant. Katara motioned to the dish in front of her, remembering one of Azula's too-much-information bits about its preparation. "The cod here is salted to jerk it then soaked in cool water before being cooked. I like it. It's one of the only fish around here that still tastes like the ocean."

Gran Gran raised her eyebrows as she tried it. "What an odd consistency. What are these?" She picked up a small shellfish with her fingers.

Kili replied to that. "They're little hermit crabs. I don't like them, but if you like soft-shelled crab, you might. Good flavor, just too much shell. Spicy though."

Gran Gran tried it before Katara could remind her again that 'spicy' in the Fire Nation meant losing all taste for half a day. Her eyebrows shot up as she chewed the crab, and she reached for her tea, giving a faint cough. "It's good, but that's too spicy for me."

Predictably, Azula slathered spicy mustard onto her mouthful. Katara giggled at the effect it had on Azula's face. "Your face just went red. I don't know why you eat that."

"Because I enjoy it." Azula placed her hand over Ana's as she reached for the mustard. "You don't want to try this."

Ana pouted. "I want it!" she proclaimed.

Katara opened her mouth to say 'no', but Azula responded first. "If you ask me politely, you can have a small taste."

"Azula," Katara warned. Ana would definitely not like it. "That's not a good idea."

"How can she know if she likes it or not if she doesn't try it?"

Because Katara knew that it hurt from personal experience. Azula was right in one sense though. Ana took a tiny taste. She frowned, then she burst into tears, as expected.

"I told you," Katara said with a sigh.

"Well, she learned a lesson," Azula replied. "There's no reason not to try new things." Azula handed Ana a glass of sweet milk. "Drink."

Ana blew her nose messily, drank her milk, and was back to normal in half a minute.

Kili smiled at the entire exchange and knocked back a shot of fire whiskey. "Good whiskey, this is."

"How did you first meet Laza, Kili?" Katara asked, directing the conversation to their guest. She wanted to avoid any interaction with the prostitutes of the house.

"She asked me whose servant I was. All she did was talk about Princess Azula or her father, Tazu. I had to tell her once not to say anything that started with 'Princess Azula' or 'Tazu says'. The look on her face. It took her five minutes to think of something to say."

Katara was interested. She sipped her wine, sighing at the wonderful peppery flavor of this vintage. The only wine they had in the South Pole was cheap, served warmed with spices. This was so much better. "What did she say about Azula?"

"What didn't she say," Kili replied with a laugh. "Let's see… Her favorite subject was history. She gave an oral presentation on the gong in the Agni Kai chamber that upset one of the teachers at the Royal Academy because she knew more than the teacher did. Her fire is blue—and it sounds different than regular fire apparently. She associated with Mai and Ty Lee because they were dangerous…Mai hid knives in her sleeves and Ty Lee took away a girl's bending for the afternoon." Kili took a sip of tea. "Oh, Princess Azula always wore sleeve ties, and all the other girls did too because of that even though they didn't need to."

Ana coincidentally had also demanded sleeve ties. Katara had expected them to come off in a few minutes, but Ana put up with them if only to emulate Azula.

Katara wished she'd been able to see Azula then. A hoity-toity princess who thought she knew everything. This story made Katara feel better about what she'd gradually realized was a horrible childhood.

"They're quite useful," Azula said. She sipped iced tea. Even before she'd been pregnant, she didn't drink a drop. She was probably just unwilling to let go enough to drink alcohol. She'd been such a cute drunk, all giggling and so earnest to say 'I love you'. She'd been so soft in bed, and she'd babbled quietly as Katara opened her with her fingers. Azula wasn't shy about making noise, but she'd never been vocal in that way before.

"Do you remember Laza from the royal academy, Pri—er, Fire Lord?" Kili asked. Katara took another sip of wine and wished she had a fan for her suddenly overheated body.

Azula turned her nose up. "I remember a flighty girl who practically failed history."

"Flighty is right." Kili grinned and reached out to grab a fried vegetable twist. "She was such an airhead then. A loveable airhead, but… I still can't fathom how she could turn out that way when her father was as awful as Tazu."

No matter how awful Tazu had been, Katara still didn't understand how Laza had so easily sent her father to the chopping block. Family members weren't supposed to screw each other over.

"He was fairly ferrety," Azula replied dryly. She reached across the table and wiped Ana's face, who screwed her face up but was admirably still for it. Ana definitely would have protested if Katara had done that.

"Haha! He was, wasn't he?"

"Aren't you lucky she didn't take after him?"

Kili's smile fell away. She took a full shot of fire whiskey. "It might have been easier if she wasn't so beautiful."

Azula rolled her eyes. "No need to be so maudlin. Laza had unattractiveness down to an art form. I have never been so thoroughly fooled before."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"She was purposefully put me off without me realizing it."

They glanced up to see Hojima walk into the room with… What was that? "Not that," Azula said.

"What is it?"

"The worst instrument the Fire Nation has ever invented. Think 'ear piercing'," Kili supplied.

"It was developed by an avid firebender who wanted to display his lung power by way of music."

"You could do it." Kili had to be drunk to address Azula so informally, but Azula got up and took the instrument from Hojima. Katara's chest tightened in anger when the woman brushed her fingers across Azula's knuckles.

Azula ignored that, settled the bag beneath her arm, put her lips on one of the many pipes sticking out from the bag, and blew. Her cheeks puffed up, her face went red, and the instrument gave a horrifying wail. Azula's fingers flicked over a few of the flutes, and a tune emerged from the mass of noise.

Ana had her hands over her ears, and Gran Gran had a hand over her mouth. By her shaking shoulders, she was laughing.

Thankfully Azula stopped blowing. The instrument continued to wail, but the wail softened dramatically. It sounded like a slowly dying animal. When she spoke, her voice was rough. "Kili, I agree. This is the worst instrument that has ever been developed in the Fire Nation."

"Did you hurt yourself?" Katara asked when Azula sat down.

"I was a little overzealous," she replied. Azula sipped her tea and cleared her throat. "Better," she said with a smoother voice. Her face had taken a contemplative look as Hojima resumed her soft flute playing. "Dragons supposedly like bladderpipes."

"No," Katara said.

"Rakka might—"

"No."

Azula turned her head, probably to hide a smile. "Ana, did you like it?"

"No!" Ana said in evident disgust.

"Kanna?"

"I would prefer to keep what hearing I still have."

Azula sighed. "I've been overruled. Such is the life of a Fire Lord ruled by her Fire Lady."

Katara smiled even as she felt a shift of unease.


	3. Words

The Fire Nation as a whole made sense to her now, as much as Katara still felt like an outsider. The brutality, pettiness, and sheer paranoia that the nobles could hold towards each other, the poor, and the throne were alien to her, and they made her feel alien too. Abstractly, she felt like neighbors were hard to come by.

Yet Katara knew many noblewomen who looked to her with professional courtesy and respect and hosted her for tea before and after she sat with them during their pregnancy checkups. Many would see her in the street and greet her politely and introduce their sisters and mothers and husbands. Those interactions flushed her with familiarity and belonging.

Then Katara would think about Azula's embroiled politics, of that big, dark, scarred man that marched into their home and declared Agni Kai in front of three children. She would think of Azula's slowly hardening features and the flicker of heat from her nostrils. Not two weeks later, Tuon had greeted Azula and Katara with polite deference as they passed through the palace together to pick up Ana from her lessons.

To this day, Katara had no idea what the original hostile exchange was about or how Azula turned that man into her ally with just words.

Katara pondered that scenario on and off through the weeks, worrying it like a loose tooth. Did it have to do with her and her status? It seemed silly to think that, but... Finally, she rolled over in bed one night, unable to keep her question silent. "Why did that man want to fight Agni Kai against you?"

Azula took a long breath. Katara realized she'd awoken her with her question. "Tuon?" Azula asked.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were asleep."

"Tuon thought I was going to kill Zuko and take the throne," Azula murmured. She rolled over and sighed. She talked in her sleep almost every night, and this was somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. Now Katara ventured to ask, "What did you say to him?"

"Hm?"

"To Tuon?"

"I told him…" Azula sighed. "I told him the truth…and Ozai."

"What about Ozai?"

"My first memory."

"Baby, what's your first memory?" Katara asked gently. She knew that was a lot more important than political posturing. And Azula would probably have to be more awake to answer the Agni Kai question in a way Katara would understand.

Azula took another breath and murmured sleepily, "I set fire to my bed…" She shifted. "In my sleep, I dreamed about fire, and…"

"And what?"

"Ozai taught me. He made me…" Azula took another long breath. "Firebend."

"Oh, baby," Katara whispered. "Where was your mother?"

"Not there," Azula murmured. She probably slipped into sleep after those words.

She wondered how old Azula had been during that time; likely a baby still, maybe even younger than Ana. Katara pulled Azula into her arms and stroked fingertips up and down Azula's muscular back. She was realizing that Azula had never had a chance to be a little girl. Katara had lost her innocence the day her mother was murdered, but Azula had never had the chance at all.

"I won't be that way," Azula said quietly.

"What way?"

"I won't be like Dad," she said. She was probably just as close to sleep as before, but she'd spoken firmly.

After everything Ozai had done to her, she still called him 'Dad'. During the war, the last word Katara would have used to describe Azula was loyal, but that was exactly what she was. It was oddly Water Tribe of her to defend and love the man who had raised her, even as she feared becoming him.

"No, you won't, Azula," Katara told her, fighting tears. She knew with every fiber of her being that Azula wouldn't.

"Love you," Azula murmured.

"I love you too. Go to sleep."

Azula sniffed, nuzzled closer, and sighed. Her breaths deepened.

Sleep was the last thing on Katara's mind after that revelation. She held Azula close and kissed her shoulder. She'd been afraid that Azula would be unbearably hot here in the capital, but apparently she'd just been bending heat at the South Pole. That had to take a lot of skill. It must not be as hard as when Katara put heat into water, but Katara couldn't imagine unconsciously doing it. Maybe she needed to be a little stricter with her waterbending training regimen.

Azula, who had trained every day despite not being able to firebend. Her dedication even in the face of her inability… Maybe Ozai had trained it or—the ugly reality: beaten it into her. Maybe it was just an aspect of Azula's perfectionist personality. Katara wondered what she would have been like if she'd been raised by Iroh and Ursa instead.

She pictured a soft, childlike Azula, hiding pain and unhappiness through her childhood. When she fell asleep, Katara dreamed of holding that little girl Azula close and wiping her tears away. She smiled at her and said, "Things will get better."

Little girl Azula offered a shy smile, and Katara's sleep fell into deep rest.

* * *

Katara's request to visit Laza for tea was returned in acceptance, but it took her nearly a week to find the time to go.

As her usual, Katara found her clothing in Azula's closet…which was an entire room dedicated to her wardrobe. Every time she walked into this room, she opened the top drawer of the heavy wooden cabinet and giggled at the number of sleeve ties stored there. Why Azula just couldn't have her sleeves tailored shorter than usual Katara couldn't figure out.

She fumbled around, searching for a formal robe among Azula's stuff before she found what she was looking for.

Katara changed where she was. Miza hadn't figured out that she didn't like people dressing her like Azula did. She wished she could break Azula of that but knew it was a lost cause.

There was a full length mirror here, and Katara examined herself for a moment. Violet wasn't a bad color for her, and the robes allowed for what little size difference there was between Azula and her. Azula had worn this maybe once; she'd looked sexy in it, hadn't she? They'd gone out to dinner and had the driver go in circles through the noble district while they laughed and enjoyed each other. And made out.

They needed to do that again sometime.

Katara walked through the sitting room to the bedroom and beyond to the small—relatively, at least—vanity area where Azula's makeup resided. Or used to. The surface was cleaned off, and all of the makeup that had been replaced was in drawers now. Katara opened one heavy drawer to find some lip-stain and stared down at what was inside it.

A whale ear bone lay on a soft roll of silk. Katara carefully picked it up. Azula had brought it with her.

It was a good thing Katara hadn't put any makeup on because she couldn't stop her tears. She cradled the bone in her hands and blinked back those tears. Azula had brought it with her here. It made her desperately happy even if she wasn't completely sure why.

She'd been afraid that Azula would be skeptical about her people's beliefs. Azula was a creature of logic and science…but she hadn't scoffed or laughed at any of the Southern Water Tribe's traditional beliefs. And she'd brought the ear bone here to the Fire Nation. She hadn't left it behind with their things in the South Pole.

"Lady Katara," Miza said in quietly worry. Katara glanced up to see the young woman hovering anxiously at the doorway to the bedroom. Katara wiped her eyes and replaced the bone in its drawer.

"I'm fine," she said and smiled.

Miza also smiled, though a little dubiously. "Would you like help with your makeup and hair?"

Staff was helpful, especially with things like this. Katara sat down on the vanity cushion and said, "Thank you. Just a little bit today."

* * *

Katara stepped out of the carriage into the courtyard of Laza's estate, her scalp already aching from her half top-knot. Katara had probably seen more of noble's households than Azula in the years she'd been contracted as a midwife by them, and this courtyard was one of a pleasant variety—as Azula might say with her nose up in the air. There was a beautiful amount of vegetation, always a nice sight in the noble district that was more yellow than any one place had any right to be.

Laza, ever beautiful, waited for Katara in the middle of her courtyard. She bowed deeply, and her voice betrayed a small amount of nervousness. "Lady Katara, always a pleasure."

Now that Katara was looking for it, she could see why Azula thought this woman was scared of her. She reminded Katara of a skittish sled dog, showing you the whites of her eyes. Hakoda called it 'whale eye'; a bite commonly followed that look. Katara ignored her own comparison and stepped forward to hug Laza around the shoulders. "Laza, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not mad at you. I never really was."

"Oh," Laza said, her golden eyes comically wide as Katara stepped back. Her shoulders were drawn up tight around her ears, but they relaxed slowly. The whale-eye continued throughout. "Good. That's lovely." She cleared her throat. "Won't you come inside?"

Laza and Kili's home was well-kept and lavish. It was even more lavish than Azula's apartment, but that was probably just because Katara called that place home. She really had no idea how expensive any of the furnishing were…or how old. They used to have a very rickety uncomfortable chair until it collapsed under the weight of Katara's travel satchel one year. She hadn't really cared; what was the point of a chair that couldn't hold anything? Then Azula mentioned it was nearly four-hundred years old. Probably crafted in honor of some fartsy Fire Lord Zuzazo.

"We saw Kili the other day."

"Yes," Laza said, her mouth twitching unhappily. "And I was stuck listening to the most annoying woman laughing all afternoon." Laza tilted her head back, put her hand on her chest, and gave a hooting laugh that Katara guessed was in mimicry. Apparently she was still nervous. Or maybe Laza was just weird.

They stepped into a long room and sat down together in the center of it. This room was a little odd; the whole length was decorated in banners of mongoose dragons. "Kili's design," Laza said with a distinct eye-roll as she followed Katara's gaze.

Katara accepted tea and sipped it. This was strong stuff—actually really horrible—and she had to hide her wince. She wondered if she could bend a little water through it discretely and decided it wasn't worth possibly embarrassing Laza.

"So, your note said something about a children's book?" Laza prompted, folding her hands primly.

"Azula said you might want to write a book for the Southern Water Tribe."

Laza's dark eyebrows went up. "That would be interesting. I've actually always wanted to go, but, well, I wasn't sure if I would be welcome. After what happened with those cards we sent to the North Pole…"

Katara cleared her throat as her amusement and irritation warred. It wasn't Laza's fault so much as the fault of the Hoda, the former Northern Water Tribe ambassador, whose sarcasm hadn't been taken as sarcasm. Zuko had apparently written several apologies, and Azula sent a letter that basically said surely the Water Tribe chief wasn't 'so pedantic to take the generous misunderstood gesture of rich, bored Fire Nation noblewomen as anything more than a silly mistake'. That was a direct quote. Katara had written a letter herself, which probably did a lot more good than either Zuko's or Azula's. Especially Azula's. For someone raised to be a politician, she wasn't very politic sometimes.

"Actually, everyone at the South Pole laughed their heads off," Katara admitted. "We tend to think the north is a little…pompous."

"What you must think of us then," Laza said with wide eyes. Then she blinked as if she was seeing the words in her head. "Not implying that the Northern Water Tribe is deprived—"

"Just implying the Fire Nation is full of arrogant camel-headed asses. It is."

Instead of taking offense, Laza relaxed. Her eyes were still comically wide. How did Azula not eat this woman alive?

But then again, this woman knew more about what was going on with the nobles in this country than probably Azula or Zuko combined. Katara dropped her pretense of a book and asked, "What do people think of me?"

Now Laza hesitated. "Do you want the truth?"

Katara just looked at Laza, who sighed. "It's not all bad, but there are always rumors, at least among the nobles."

Not _all_ bad. So probably most of it was. "About me?"

"About everyone. You can't take anything personally or you'll get chewed up and spit out. I learned that lesson in Royal Academy."

"In school?" Katara asked, surprised to hear it.

"Oh yes. Not to be 'woe is me', but I never had a friend. Those girls hated me." Apparently bitching about nobles was Laza's comfort zone; she was completely at ease now.

"What about Azula?"

Laza sputtered. "As my friend? Certainly not. Princess Azula only associated with Mai and Ty Lee, and she paid no one else any mind. Though she did glare at me a great deal in history class."

Katara smirked at the thought. She recalled Kili's memories of young Laza talking constantly about Azula's sleeve ties.

"She was really terrifying," Laza said lightly.

"How old was she?"

"Eleven."

"How old were you?"

"Fifteen." Laza's expression darkened, but she didn't elaborate.

A fifteen year old girl was scared by an eleven year old. That just seemed strange, even if the object of that terror was Azula. When Katara had found Zuko's—well, Ozai's—baby portrait, she'd also found pictures of Azula and the whole family. The little Azula on those paintings was cute, and that had made her as uncomfortable as Ozai's portrait had made Aang. Now Katara could appreciate the paintings that Ursa had brought out of hiding to adorn her walls. An eleven year old Azula had to have been both adorable and awkward. Katara was definitely biased.

She almost wished she'd known her then. But they probably would have fought and been mortal enemies in only the way preteen girls could be. Instead they'd met a few years later and had fought and been mortal enemies during war.

"What are the rumors?"

Laza turned her eyes away briefly. "That you've bewitched Fire Lord Azula entirely. That you want to take the Fire Nation through her. That she will take your children as her own and taint the bloodline. That she will bear mixed blood—"

"Half-breed," Katara said quietly, a knife twisted in her gut. How anyone could say such a thing about Ana, about the child growing in Azula now…

Laza winced in confirmation. "—children. That you've softened her. But you must realize since the Fire Lord has returned with a dragon, these rumors have been almost entirely silenced. And those that did speak them also spoke of their discontent with Fire Lord Zuko and his wife, the Honored Mother Ursa and General Iroh. They speak badly of _everyone_. A great majority of people are neutral. Many are even your allies, and some of those are the important families. Commoners are largely pleased with the status of the country. Why wouldn't they be with two young, attractive Fire Lords starting families of their own? They're peers, as no Fire Lord has been before."

Important families. Katara didn't know any of their bloodlines. She only knew the names and families of the women she'd assisted through the years. She met next to none of them through Azula, who rarely wanted to talk about her work at the end of the day. "I feel like… I need to know things. Like etiquette and noble families."

"I'm sure you know many noble families already. You've delivered at least a quarter of the noble babies in the capital in the last few years." For her part, Laza seemed awed by that fact—hyperbole that it was. (How did Azula plant that weird word in Katara's head?) "I can do my best to tell you what I know, but I don't think that would be helpful to you. Etiquette, however, I can certainly help with—if only for how poorly I performed as a teenager."

"What about wedding planning?" Katara asked hopefully.

That caught Laza off-guard. "You need help?"

"Invitations to noble families," Katara admitted with a wince.

Laza's mouth opened then closed. "I was going to suggest asking Fire Lady Mai's help, but her seating arrangements at her own wedding were…unorthodox. There's a rumor she chose by throwing darts."

"Wouldn't work. It wouldn't have been by chance then."

"So she _is_ that good?"

"Better."

Laza gave another soft laugh before finally saying, "Surely Fire Lord Azula can help."

"It feels unfair to ask. She's so busy now."

"Ask. I'm sure she's very good a delegating. And who is a Fire Lady but a woman to command her Fire Lord? Now, etiquette we can discuss."

* * *

Katara's mind was spinning through all of the inane things she'd learned from Laza that afternoon. She used to think Azula's servants just read her mind until she began to recognize Azula's gentle hand motions, which Katara thought was just her speaking with her hands. All along they served as cues for the servants. Katara hadn't realized how convoluted those motions were: palm down, fingers closed was different than palm down fingers open. The pronation of the hand meant something entirely different than the supination.

It took 'talking with your hands' to an entirely different level.

And that wasn't even counting the stuff about eye contact and bows and what topics were taboo and so on and so forth. 'Et cetera ad nauseum' as Azula said.

When she walked wearily up to their apartment, she found it empty aside from the few staff members there. Miza smiled gently and told her they were out in Mai's garden. Apparently Azula and Zuko had wrapped up for the day in time for the children's play-hour before dinner. She didn't feel quite as guilty that Gran Gran had been Ana's babysitter after her lessons. The etiquette lesson had lasted a lot longer than she'd expected.

That was something Azula was shockingly adamant about: Gran Gran would not be used as a nursemaid. She would be free to go and come as she pleased. Katara appreciated that mentality a great deal. Azula wasn't overlooking Katara's grandmother. Though it wasn't like she didn't have a thousand staff members to take care of Ana.

Katara walked downstairs, through the maze of corridors, and out on the west side of the palace. Mai's garden was absolutely beautiful. Katara loved the centerpiece: a big circular fountain that overflowed continuously. As she walked by it, she reached out and stirred the water with her bending, enjoying the fluid tugs and shifts. There Gran Gran sat under a sunshade with her ever-present iced water in one hand. She glanced over and smiled softly. "How was your visit?"

"Really…informative. I think I made a friend." She glanced around and spotted Azula and Ana wandering through the garden together. Tozin and Rina were off doing their own things, and Zuko and Mai sat close together with their hands clasped watching their children play. Talk about domestic bliss.

This palace had really turned into a happy place. Katara wouldn't have guessed it even after the war, with Zuko stressed and brooding and Mai unhappy with his unhappiness. Just when he'd seemed to balance his life, Azula was back in the capital and that chaotic time had fallen. And then after Zuko and Mai's wedding…

Those first few months had been dark. But Azula had fought and fought and brought herself back from the brink of death. She'd changed a lot in those months. Maybe that much time living in her own silence had given her ample opportunity to think. When she could have turned to much darker emotions so easily, somehow Azula turned into a softer, gentler person in the wake of Ozai's horrid betrayal. She smiled more, was more open with her emotions, and when she could speak again, she said things that surprised all of them.

Soon after, Katara found a new complication in her life in the South Pole: little Ana, who had stolen her heart long before she'd pointed at Katara and said 'Mama'. She'd been an idiot to try to keep her lives and her loves separate for so long. It made her ache to think of Azula's weary murmur that she'd thought Katara was having an affair. All along, Katara had been a coward.

Ana's laughter drew Katara's eyes back. Ana darted ahead of Azula. Azula turned to look behind them as she followed in a mock chase, and Katara smiled to see that she was smiling broadly. They both watched behind them as Tonk pounced on something in the grass. Tonk paused, then raced after that thing again.

"What in the world?"

"Ana had a tantrum while you were gone because Tonkara hid from her."

Katara sighed. Tonk was just warming up to her, but Ana had been getting more and more upset that the cat wouldn't be her friend. Maybe Ana would be happy to have a cat friend and stop fixating on the dragon that was currently circling the air above the palace in a calm flight.

"Your wife and Ana put together a toy to entice her."

Ana had seen her and now made a beeline for Katara. Behind her, Tonk continued to pounce and chase. As her daughter drew nearer, Katara saw a feathery puff of something bouncing on a thin rope that was tied to Ana's belt. "Mommy!" Ana screamed.

"I can hear you," Katara said gently, wincing. She got to her knees to pull Ana into a long hug. She breathed her scent and felt the warm little body in her arms. She loved this girl so much. Katara kissed her neck as Ana's arms wrapped around her neck in a gentle hug. "Ooh, that's a good hug," she said.

"Look!" Ana demanded finally. She occasionally pronounced her 'l's right, but that excited word had been more 'wook' than 'look'.

Katara pulled back and smiled to see Tonk had rolled on her back and was licking the feathery toy Ana had been dragging around. "Tonky likes me now!"

"What is it?"

"Azula says…a kitty lure!"

"A lure?" Katara glanced up at Azula, who was watching them with a vague smile. It was such a soft expression.

Ana turned and ran away, shrieking with delight when Tonk chased her around the garden. Azula touched Katara's arm. Katara didn't expect Azula to pull her into a hug. She sank into Azula's arms, dropped her head to Azula's shoulder, and relaxed completely.

They both watched Ana still running around the garden with Tonk chasing after her. Tonk was going to flop over and start panting soon. The bearded cat probably hadn't played this much since she was a kitten. "That's a great idea."

"I have them occasionally," Azula said gently. "Zuko and Mai are going to eat out here with their kids. Shall we join them?"

"That sounds great. Do you have to work again?"

"I have a few readings tonight, but that can be done in bed."

Good. Katara had vetoed Azula working in her restored study when she found her there in the middle of the night asleep on the desk last week.

"Azula, can you deal with invitations for Fire Nation nobles?"

She seemed surprised. "I assumed you would want to choose based upon the women you've serviced."

"You make it sound like I'm a prostitute." Despite herself, Katara was a little offended by how Azula put that.

Azula's lips pursed in irritation, but she ignored Katara's dig. "We'll sit down together at the end of the week to sear out a list."

That was a load of worry off. "Thank you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm exhausted. And I don't want fish."

Exhaustion was no surprise. Azula had been uncharacteristically tired recently, even if she kept her same hours. Zuko had sniggered at her a few days ago about falling asleep during a meeting. But no fish?

It had been nearly two months since Sokka's visit. Morning sickness had set in gently so far, and with it the heightened sense of smell. Apparently Azula's trigger was fish. Poor woman. Azula lived on fish: white, red, fresh and saltwater. When she didn't eat fish, she ate some form of shellfish or octopus or squid or sea urchin. Rarely if ever did she eat red meat though she'd been willing in the South Pole.

"How about a white-meat bird?"

"That would be good."

"Did you throw up?"

"Princesses do not throw up."

Katara dropped her head back to Azula's shoulder and laughed. "Do Fire Lords?"

"No," Azula sighed. "I was just a bit queasy, especially with an empty stomach. I don't want to tempt fates by ingesting what's been making me queasy. I have how many more months of this to put up with?"

"Probably two." Hopefully only two.

Azula's mouth tightened. "So I'll have to suffer during our wedding." She suddenly looked startled. "I'll be showing, won't I?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I doubt anyone will notice in those big robes you wear every day."

Azula turned her head and glanced up. Rakka flew overhead and carefully settled onto the grass, much to the delight of all of the children, who immediately approached. Zuko did too, and his grin was as big as the children's. Rakka accepted their touches and heaved a big sigh. Sunlight shone brightly off of her blue scales.

"She's more like a housecat than a dragon."

"She's happy here. Just as she was happy in the South Pole."

"Go figure. A dragon that likes the cold."

"Fitting, don't you think?" Azula asked with a slow smile. "Like the Fire Nation princess who fell in love with a piece of the Southern Water Tribe. By the way, aside from the invitations, how is the wedding preparation?"

"Going along, I guess. I've been procrastinating about sending invitations out to our friends too."

"To Aang?" Azula asked simply.

"Yes. To Aang."

"You should do it so I don't have to. That would be decidedly awkward. Is there any way you could involve my mother in some small part of the planning? She's been nagging me to death asking about trivialities with the wedding. Implication of course that she feels slighted."

"Azula, I love you, but…"

"Please."

Oh. It had to be bad for Azula to use that word in a situation outside of sex. "I'll see what I can do. Don't blame me if we have some sort of traditional trumpeter or something."

"Trumpets are Earth Kingdom," said so very snootily.

"It was an example, Fire Lord Smartass."

"That's no way to talk to your wife."

* * *

The next day, Katara found herself sitting on Ursa's balcony awkwardly sharing tea with Azula's mother. This was a peace offering and a token of true love given how much she'd dreaded to involving Ursa at all. It was a good thing she loved Azula enough to suffer through this—to suffer through her mother in general. A lesser woman would have run off screaming by now.

"How is the wedding preparation coming along?" Ursa asked with barely constrained irritation.

Katara handled that tone like she handled Ana's tantrums: she didn't reward the behavior with her acknowledgement. "Pretty much done. I'm thinking about what robes we should wear. I really like the designs from Zuko's wedding."

"You can't borrow too much."

As if it mattered. "No. I certainly don't want black."

Ursa raised her eyebrows. "Red or blue, perhaps? A dark version of those."

Katara withdrew the samples from her sleeves. "I don't know if I want Azula in blue or red. She always looks good in red, but blue would be pretty and pointed towards Rakka."

"Perhaps this for you." Ursa fingered a deep red color.

Katara wasn't as sure. "I don't pull off red well."

"You don't think? Perhaps something brighter." Ursa held up a bright red cloth sample against Katara's arm. "Very rich, especially if you put blue in the robe."

"Hm." Katara set that piece of cloth aside. No way in hell was she wearing red, but perhaps a rich purple… She considered again. Hm. "I liked the koi design from Zuko's wedding, but…"

"Perhaps a sea serpent? I recall a legend involving the serpent Rakka and her creation of the South Pole."

Katara was startled by the thought. It was a good one. "I like that."

Ursa smiled in response. "And a dragon for Azula, of course."

"Of course," Katara replied dryly. "Light blue on dark blue."

"And the rest of the party should be in black or gray."

As much as Katara rebelled against that idea, she found herself entertaining the thought. She liked a lot more color than gray or black though. They tossed around a few more ideas before Katara packed up her samples. She actually liked Ursa's input, as much as that fact pained her.

"Thank you," Ursa said as Katara started to rise.

Her statement and tone made Katara sit back down. She reached out to take Ursa's hand. "What's wrong?"

Ursa wrapped her hands around Katara's and patted them as she swallowed back tears. "When I first came back to the Fire Nation, Iroh went to get Azula out of prison. The conditions there were…horrible. So horrible. And when she came back with him, she was so thin. I reached out to hug her, and she looked at me like I was something she could break. I'll never forget it; I was frightened of her. For a moment, I believed what Zuko had told me: that she'd gone mad.

"I pushed through and tried so hard to make her happy. I gave her things to do, to occupy her, and I told her I loved her as often as I could. But she was never happy, not until you started living with her on Ember Island. Suddenly she started smiling and laughing, and she…" Ursa pursed her lips. "She relaxed. Her manner softened, even when she was angry."

Ursa took another breath, patted Katara's hands and said, "I just wanted you to know that if you weren't here; if you didn't love her as you have, I don't think she'd still be here. So thank you again for making my daughter happy."

"She makes me happy too," Katara responded, her throat tight at the thought of Azula's deep unhappiness. This wasn't the first time Ursa had stated the thought, and it likely wouldn't be the last. "I'm in this for life, remember?"

"Oh, I do. You have to give me more grandbabies, remember?"

"Speaking of—" Katara realized Ursa's dumbfounded expression meant she'd drawn another conclusion. A bit of revenge for Ursa being…well, Ursa. "—I need to pick my little one up from lessons. Thank you, Ursa. You helped me decide on our clothing."

Katara pondered Ursa's words as she strode through the palace to the little classrooms nestled in the library wing. In particular, Ursa's words about Azula's horrible conditions during her capture. What she couldn't believe was that Zuko was aware and had never stepped in. Even if he thought Azula was a danger or…mentally unstable, it wasn't okay to have his sister in such 'horrible conditions'. Of course, Ursa tended to exaggerate.

The children were playing in the gardens by the time Katara arrived. Zuko made a rare appearance, standing in the shaded walkway and watching his children laugh and play with Ana. No topknot today for him.

Katara stepped beside him and said, "Tell me why you didn't see her after the war."

Zuko flinched and turned around. He took one look at Katara and understood her meaning. Zuko took a breath and stood straight again. "Katara, you're not going to say anything I haven't heard before. And I heard a lot, from my mother and from Uncle."

Katara sighed and waved to Ana, who was too busy playing to come greet her. "How bad was it?"

"It was bad. I went to see after she came back. It was… It was bad. No one hurt her—"

"Aside from tearing off her fingernails!"

"That's nothing compared to what she lived through with Ozai." He laughed. "You know what Azula told me? She said she had a bed, a piss pot, and three meals a day which is more than a lot of people in this world can say. I think Azula is the only person who isn't upset about it. She said… She said she deserved to rot in that prison for the rest of her life for losing."

"When did she say that?" Katara asked him.

He shook his head. "A few years after Iroh pulled her out of the prison."

"How long was she in there?"

"Six months."

A few months, Katara's ass. Damn it. If she had known…

"I screwed up, and I know it," Zuko said. "But I don't think she's ever blamed me. I'm not sure Azula blamed anyone but herself for anything that happened during or after the war. She wouldn't want you to worry about it."

"Life sucked for both of you for a long time, didn't it?"

Zuko was surprised by her words. "We had fun too. Not often after Mom was gone, but we did."

"Do you think she's happy now?"

Zuko snorted. "You're kidding, right? She's ecstatic right now. She'd driving me a little crazy, actually. She'd forcing me to start firebending training." He pitched his voice high. "'Zuzu, how can you be Fire Lord if you don't use your fire? You're not embarrassing me anymore with your inherent laziness.'"

Katara laughed. By Zuko's silliness, Azula wasn't the only happy one. "You really like what you and Azula have planned, don't you?"

His face shifted into a quiet smile. "It takes a lot of pressure off of my shoulders. I can see Republic City grow, even if it's just a few months at a time. I don't feel like I'm doing this alone anymore. Hell, I had time to come out here to see my kids play in the garden because she's in a meeting in my place." He hesitated. "And with my sister… We can do anything if we work together."

Katara reached out and hugged him. He was solid as always, broad and strong even if he wasn't the sculpted muscle he used to be. Though by the lack of gut, his training with Azula had trimmed him up.

"Tell me something… How the heck did you two end up hooking up?"

"I could go into gory detail," Katara teased.

He actually blushed. "I meant…not that. How did you realize you loved her?"

"Do you know what she said to Chan?"

He shook his head. "Who?"

"You all were on Ember Island at some point, right? Do you know what she said to the random guy she decided to flirt with?" When he stilled looked clueless, she elaborated: "You trashed his house."

Zuko started laughing. "Azula tried to flirt with that guy? I wish I'd seen that!"

"She said his clothing was sharp enough to sink a Fire Nation warship, causing thousands of people to drown. And then apparently she kissed him."

Zuko put a hand over his mouth and his shoulders shook. Katara laughed too as she waited for him to calm down. "I can hear her saying that!" he gasped.

"When she told me about that, I knew."

"You're just as weird as she is," Zuko proclaimed. Zuko's expression shifted into seriousness after a moment. "Aang told me about what happened."

Of course Aang told Zuko. He was probably as guilty today as he had been the day he'd lost his temper. Katara still couldn't forgive what he'd tried to do even as she found herself forgiving Aang. It was just a bad situation. She should have locked Azula and Aang in a room and made them hold hands until they talked. Apparently Azula still assumed that Aang wanted her. Katara hoped that wasn't true. His very anti-Azula mentality was a little easier to stomach when she assumed he was just worried about her, but a part of her had her doubts too. Why else would he do something so completely out of character?

He could be such a great friend, like they'd been during the war, and then he could turn around and say something that would make Katara so angry. She'd been an idiot to assume leaving it alone was a good idea.

Maybe it was time to read his letter.

"It was bad," Katara said quietly. "But it was…spontaneous. Azula says that he went back for her and saw what I'm assuming was a lot of destruction and no her. He assumed she'd died and probably started panicking right then."

Zuko shrugged. "Well, Azula can firebend and she got a dragon. All's well that ends well?"

Katara found she was able to laugh at that. "Maybe so."

When she went back up to the quiet apartment, she gave Ana a snack and drew the curtains back on the balcony. She stepped into her bedroom to open her drawer in Azula's desk. Nestled in that drawer was the letter Aang had handed her on the day of Azula's coronation. She carefully flipped Aang's letter over in her hands. He'd written her name on the outside in a familiar set of characters. She used to welcome his letters even as she dreaded seeing that he'd written some veiled worry or unhappiness.

Katara opened the letter and was surprised there was so little text there. Aang's handwriting had gotten better through the years, and in so doing, it had gotten smaller.

_Katara:_

_I love you very much, but I think I messed myself up years ago thinking the only way I could love you was romantically. It took me a long time to realize I want to be your friend more than I want to be your lover. I've always only wanted what was best for you, but I thought what was best was for you was not to be with Azula. I only saw what I wanted to. I'm sorry for that as much as my deplorable actions towards your wife._

_I have no right to ask you to forgive me. So I'll say that I deeply apologize for any pain or unhappiness that I've caused. I also have no right to ask you this, but: can I be your friend again? I miss you so much, and that's my fault. You've been there for me all these years, and I've been so blinded by my anger that I wasn't able to return the favor, especially when you needed me to._

_I'm so very sorry, Katara. I love you, and I want your every happiness, even if that means I won't be a part of your life anymore._

_You don't have to answer this letter. If you ever need me in any capacity, I'm here._

_Your friend,_

_-Aang_

"Damn it, Aang," Katara whispered with a laugh as she wiped her tears away. For a man who didn't often need to give apologies, he sure knew how to write one, even if it was a little melodramatic. And now she felt guilty because she owed him an apology too…a big one even if it wasn't melodramatic.

She wanted her friend back, and maybe with all of this crappy mess she'd finally get him back.

The note she penned him was short but heartfelt:

_Aang,_

_Come to the wedding and stand as my friend. We'll talk when you get here._

_Your friend,_

_Katara_


	4. Girl's Celebration Day

Dividing her life between the Fire Nation and the South Pole, Katara had left the household duties to Azula. Now she wondered how she could take over some of those chores to pick up the slack and save Azula a little bit of time. Obviously Azula left a lot of things to her staff, but there had to be some things only she did.

"Princess Azula is particular about her finances," said Azula's majordomo, Li in reply to her question.

"Can you show me?" Katara asked. What she knew about money was mainly gleaned from her brother during their travels during the war and her small dealings with it in the Fire Nation, but how hard could it be? The Southern Water Tribe didn't exactly use gold pieces or keep strict track of trading. It was all a fair system; whoever got a piece of the catch from one family gave back when they could. Here, Katara collected gold instead of goods for her services. Though sometimes they did send her with gifts or addition to her usual sum. She assumed it was a complement of sorts.

Li raised his trimmed eyebrows. (Katara had spied him taking scissors to them once and still had to hold back a giggle sometimes.) "Of course."

Half an hour later, Katara had managed to put Ana down for her nap—she was not hiring a nursemaid to be a mother for her—and returned to Azula's desk in her bedroom. There were several scrolls laid upon it.

She sat down and glanced at the number on the bottom row.

Katara yelped.

Li was immediately by her shoulder. "Lady Katara, is there a problem?"

Katara picked up the scroll and stared at the number. There had to be too many zeros on that number. "Azula has this much money?"

"Technically you share it. And that is only the amount grossed this quarter."

"Quarter?" Katara asked weakly. "Quarter what?"

"Quarter year."

Katara stared at that number again. "These are gold pieces?"

"Yes."

"She earned this much money in three months?"

"Yes," Li said. He was smiling gently. "Fire Lord Azula began her investments at an early age and has continued with what money she did earn. Recently she has hired a financial consultant, but she makes all final decisions."

"What is an early age?"

"Thirteen."

Prodigy. No wonder Azula could be so awkward socially. She was too busy being an adult as a kid to figure out how to talk to people normally.

Katara sat down again and stared at that number. If Azula earned this much in a few months, she had to own the world at this point. "How much money does she have total?"

"It's a fluid number," Li said. He drew up a chair and sat down with Katara. "Fire Lord Azula pays quarterly taxes, which are thirty-six percent."

Katara made a noise of pain. Clearly thirty percent didn't hurt Azula in the least… Having that much money meant she couldn't possibly spend it all, but thirty-six percent was a lot of money from this hunk. Then again, how could she possibly spend even a quarter of this money?

"And she reinvests the majority of the money she makes every quarter. A few prospects have fallen through, but by and large she continues grossing an amount roughly equivalent to this quarter. The actual income is much less."

"I don't understand how this much money even exists. What in the world can she buy with it? Where does she keep it all?"

"Princess Azula has been considering investing a large amount of money in the future Republic City. If Fire Lord Zuko's plans come to fruition, she would gain a great deal from such a thing. It would also potentially draw affluent peoples to the city to profit the city itself. She also has a set amount that she spends in goods and services quarterly. As to where it is kept: the money is not in physical form."

"This is crazy." Katara couldn't get over that number on the paper, which apparently didn't exist anyway. No wonder Azula was proud of the fact she paid taxes. Talk about paying back to the Fire Nation. Katara bet Azula funded at least a hunk of the public education act she was such an advocate for. Money was so weird here.

This was way beyond her. Katara wasn't going to touch this for fear of destroying the economy of the Fire Nation. Azula was free to goggle at the free trade system in the South, but giving strips of whale fat to a neighbor in exchange for their strong back in hauling in a catch was much easier than this.

"Wow," Katara said. "Thank you, Li. I, um… I guess I'll leave this to Azula."

His smile was gentle. "Of course, Lady Katara. If you ever have interest in more details, you can always come to me."

"Thanks."

Back to wedding planning for her. It made the measly sum of money she asked for her midwife expertise seem so silly. And come to think of it, she really didn't need to ask for money at all. Did Azula's excess of money make Katara greedy for earning even a little of her own?

* * *

"What possessed you to ask about my finances?" Azula asked her that night.

They shared tea on the balcony. Ana was fast asleep after her fun that evening with her cousins. She was doing so well in the Fire Nation. Almost too well. Ana was turning out to be a Fire Nation Princess in the making.

Gran Gran was reading quietly in the den…well, by her snores, she'd fallen asleep reading in the den. To Katara's surprise, Azula had found an old bestiary in the archives that Gran Gran was enjoying in full.

The night was cool, and Azula seemed tired but relaxed. She smiled now as she asked that question. Behind her, Rakka shifted and wiggled closer to draw Azula's hand to her forehead. This was a shockingly…normal thing now despite how obviously bizarre it was to have a dragon on their balcony. Thank goodness the balcony could support her weight.

Katara shook her head. "I didn't know that much money existed."

"I had to have something to do on Ember Island."

"But… I don't understand. How do you make money without doing anything?"

Azula cocked her head. "I invest."

She vaguely recalled Azula using that word before. "I don't understand what that means."

Maybe seven or eight years ago Azula would have thought that was stupid, but there was no judgment in Azula's face tonight. "A company may wish to expand its ranks, its property, or its products. I provide money for them in exchange for a margin of their profits."

"How is that good for them?"

"They make money too, but they give me a portion of those profits that would not have been possible without my investment. That's an oversimplification of a sort, but that's what I do."

"What sort of companies?"

Azula sipped her tea and pursed her lips as she considered it. She was so attractive. Katara abruptly wanted to tear open her robe and bite her nipples and… Azula didn't look over to see Katara's dirty thoughts. "A bicycle company, in fact. I own a few fishing vessels in the Northern Seas. And I put a bit of money into the zoo at Ba Sing Se."

How funny. Aang would probably like that, or at least find it as funny as Katara did. Did he know? She paused as she remembered the fishing thing. "Not the salmon fishers? That big company that was overfishing in the Northern Water Tribe seas?"

"Yes, that company."

Katara's mouth opened as she remembered that incident. She had a few friends from up there that had written about it; one had even asked her for help. She couldn't remember if she'd ever asked Azula in the first place. "You fixed it, didn't you? You were the person who made them stop using those horrible nets and fishing lines too."

Azula shrugged. She motioned to ask if Katara wanted more tea, and Katara turned her hand out, palm-down in decline. Azula's lips quirked; Katara shot her a glare before she could comment on the gesture.

"Yes, well, our relationship with the Northern Water Tribe is tenuous enough that we couldn't afford to let that continue."

"You didn't make money doing that."

"Not yet. But by ensuring we don't overfish and that we fish correctly, I've ensured that my company will continue being able to fish and will have fish to catch in the future. It was faster too than waiting for international laws to pass."

Long-term thinking. Katara laughed. "You can be really Water Tribe sometimes."

"That's just common sense. Though your people are incredibly practical. Though, now that I have an official capacity in this nation, I'll have to use blind trusts for my finances." At Katara's unspoken question, she elaborated, "I will no longer know where my money is invested to avoid benefiting from my own legislation." Azula set her teacup down, and her gaze sharpened. "I thought you had plans to open a waterbending school."

Katara hesitated. She'd put it from her mind, but she still wanted to. She really did. But that was before she realized she was going to be a Fire Lady. "There hasn't been time—"

Azula raised a dubious eyebrow.

"Really. Azula, how did you convince that man to rescind his Agni Kai challenge?"

"Tuon?" she asked in surprise.

"Did he actually think he could beat you?"

Azula took a soft breath of her tea and glanced over the balcony. "No. It was never about killing me. It was about martyring himself to reduce my popularity and make it more difficult for me to take the throne, since that was what he feared."

"But… He'd give up his life just to make you unpopular?"

"Yes. His intentions were good, but he was wrong." Her brow wrinkled. "Have we talked about this?"

"You were asleep. What did you say to him?"

"I just told him the truth. It usually works."

"I don't understand what 'the truth' means."

Azula met her eyes and looked away. "I explained why I am the way I am. Some people believe that my aggressive political manner is because I want to rule this nation absolutely." At Katara's frown of question, Azula clarified: "That I want to be a dictator. But there's a line between being the Fire Lord and being a dictator. I saw Ozai cross that line almost every day, and I won't make that choice."

"How did he do that?"

Katara could see Azula was losing patience with this conversation. "He declared Agni Kai a few times. He outright killed a few men. He declared a state of national emergency and pushed all of the funding in our social programs into our military spending. Ozai was a man who believed the poor deserved their poverty."

"You don't."

Azula shrugged. "There are many reasons to be poor, but that is aside from the issue. 'My' money goes into programs for the education of the Fire Nation's children, the payment of martial forces, the addition of much-needed infrastructure in our rural areas, et cetera ad nauseam. The money isn't mine, I would argue. It's what is due to my nation for me to be a citizen of the nation, and what better way for my nation to use it than to better itself by bettering its citizens?"

So eloquently long-winded. "You earned the money though, not the Fire Nation."

"Yes. But the money that goes into the Fire Nation is also for my own personal benefit."

"You just said it was for the betterment of the Fire Nation, not you." Katara had an idea where this was going, but she wanted to hear Azula say it.

Azula gestured with her expressive hands. "If I ever need such programs I have in part funded with the taxes I pay, the programs will be available to me. If I travel to an island that recently gained cobblestone roads, I benefit from the taxes I have paid. When our children are old enough to go to school, I will benefit because they will have the option of attending a high quality free school." She paused. "I suppose we should talk about that at some point."

Katara liked that. She liked it a lot. And she really really liked that Azula had said 'children'. "We're that way at the South Pole. We don't really make money, but we trade and we give. If someone is sick and can't fish or hunt, we make sure they're fed until they get better. And then they do it for their neighbor."

"It will be harder as your tribe grows," Azula said quietly. "But I have no doubt you'll continue. Any society that treats its elderly the way you do will prosper."

The certainty that Azula said that with made Katara uneasy. They'd already changed, moving the village, changing their building designs, using supplies and trading for things that made their lives a little bit easier. It was easier to grow, easier to send their children away, and probably would be much too easy to lose their customs. Hopefully they wouldn't lose themselves in the process.

Maybe she was a part of that change. The chieftain's daughter that fell in love with a piece of the Fire Nation, raising a little Fire Nation princess of her own.

* * *

There were still times that Azula surprised her. Katara woke up far too early one morning the next week to see Azula sitting on the balcony in the very early sunlight. Katara yawned as she walked outside. She stilled when she realized that Ana was sitting in Azula's lap. They were meditating together, but Azula spoke softly to Ana.

"Fire is breath," Azula said quietly. "Breath is also key for life. Even without fire, the meditative breath is important for strength and health and control. I practiced it for many years without being able to firebend. Do you understand why?"

Ana, sitting cross-legged with her back against Azula's chest, nodded. "Control," she echoed so seriously. Had they had lessons like this before?

"Yes, control. Now breathe as I do."

Azula's torso expanded with her deep, slow inhalation. In her lap, Ana also inhaled. Her eyes were closed but wrinkled in concentration. Azula made a soft noise of displeasure. "Not from the ribs. From the belly, the diaphragm." She dropped her hand to Ana's stomach and placed two fingers there. "Breathe against my fingers."

After a few breaths, Azula said, "Yes. Good, Ana. Now concentrate on breathing like that. Echo me."

"What's that?" Ana asked.

"Echo? Do as I do. Imitate me."

They both began to breathe quietly. Katara slipped off the balcony to do her morning toilet, and when she came back out dressed and bathed, Azula hadn't moved. Katara edged along the room to peek at them from an angle to see Ana. Ana's head was leaned back against Azula's shoulder, and she was clearly asleep. Azula was watching her with a soft, gentle expression.

She'd never been fair to Azula. Katara had kept the South Pole separate from Azula for fear of her treatment of Katara's people, her beliefs, and her daughter. She'd been afraid that the ideal she'd built up in the eyes of her friends and family—of herself too—wouldn't be matched. It had been as much about being afraid she would fall out of love with Azula as fearing what would happen if Ana invested in this woman and didn't see her for half the year. She hadn't been fair.

For a long time, Katara had looked at Azula, loved her, and had never thought she would be a life-partner. Azula was the spoiled, condescending, sometimes very cruel woman who Katara knew loved her but Katara hadn't trusted to want to have a family with her. Seeing Azula with her nephew and niece had rekindled Katara's hope that a family might be in their future. Trust Azula to completely stump Katara's every expectation. Ana, adopted legally and emotionally, and their baby slowly growing in Azula's womb.

Katara wanted to apologize to Azula but knew there was no way to do it without hurting her feelings all over again. Instead, Katara would tell her she loved her. Katara sat down carefully beside Azula. She put her hand on Azula's shoulder and rubbed her back gently.

"You make me very happy."

Azula looked at her in obvious surprise. Katara kissed her cheek. "I just wanted you to know that."

"Then tell me why you aren't."

Katara was startled by that statement and by Azula's steady gaze. "Azula, what—"

"Do you not want to get married?"

Apparently Azula had picked up on her worry. Katara sighed and dropped her face to her hand. "I do want to get married. I'm just… What do I do, as Fire Lady?"

Ana stirred in Azula's arms and repositioned. Azula's shoulders relaxed with a faint sigh. Katara could just imagine her thinking, _Is that all?_ "Whatever you want."

"But what if you get sick or hurt—"

"Katara, you won't be called upon to rule the Fire Nation."

"I just worry that something's going to happen, someone's going to ask me something or—"

"It's moot, but being Fire Lord is fairly brainless. But if it would help, why not spend a day with me to see what I do?"

Katara hesitated, but clearly that offer had been honest. "Okay."

"Is that why you haven't pursued the waterbending school?"

"Partly."

"Start working on it. If you want to teach waterbending, then do it. Katara, Fire Lady is a title only. That I'm Fire Lord doesn't pigeonhole you into a role. I wouldn't have accepted it if that were true." Azula sighed. "Please _ask_ me these things instead of worrying about them silently."

"I just didn't want to disappoint you."

"The only disappointment is when you don't trust me."

"You have to stop assuming I don't trust you, baby. I love you, I want to make a life with you, and I want you to be happy. I guess I was a little afraid of a confirmation of my fears. That had nothing to do with you."

"I would never ask you to take on the burdens of this nation." Azula abruptly smiled. "Especially when I know firsthand how irritating the job can be."

"You're so happy you can't stand it," Katara asserted, pausing to kiss Azula's neck.

"I'll be happier when we're married here."

"What exactly is involved with that? We've done all the planning, but don't we say vows?"

"We confirm them, just as Zuko and Mai did. It's a 'repeat after me' process. I can help you with that."

Ana stirred in Azula's arms and rubbed at her eyes as she lifted her head.

"Good morning, Ana."

Ana only gave a slow smile. She looked up under her lashes at Azula and snuggled closer. That was one happy little girl. "Guess what. I have today off. Would you like to go down to the hummingbird garden?"

Ana shook her head. "Mongoose dragons!"

Katara sighed. "Better us than one of Zuko's kids."

Azula's mouth twisted as she shot Katara a startled glance out of the corner of her eye. Her agreement bordered on emphatic. "Yes."

Ana burst out of Azula's lap to give a happy 'yay'! Rakka landed on the balcony then, adding to the chaos. Rakka, in contrast to Ana, was quiet and careful as she slipped her coils onto the warm stone. She slithered forward carefully to accept pets from Ana. Katara still wanted to jerk to her feet and was ready to yank Ana away from any potential danger. She said, "That never ceases to surprise me."

"We share some."

Katara glanced at Azula, who was generally proud but quiet when it came to her dragon. "Share?"

"Emotions." Azula glanced at Katara out of the corner of her eye. "It may sound insane, but the strongest dragon pairs historically attested to the same."

"You feel her?"

"Yes." Azula's gaze flickered across her dragon.

That was potentially awkward. Katara thought of the times Rakka had been on the balcony when they… She gave Azula an alarmed look. "What, exactly, do you share?"

Azula abruptly rolled her eyes and got to her feet.

"Breakfast."

Ana seemed torn between Rakka and food, but Azula solved it by saying, "We'll eat out here."

Katara resisted the urge to look over her shoulder at whatever servant was always in earshot. If Azula said they would eat out on the balcony, the staff would damn well get their breakfast on the balcony for a comfortable morning. It was wonderfully convenient if she could ever get rid of her guilt at being so waited upon.

* * *

Katara decided to let Azula take Ana to Kili's farm alone. It made her nervous simply for the mongoose dragons, but she trusted Azula. She was ready to give the two of them time without her hovering around. It freed up her morning to train, which she did alone in the palace gardens. Azula and Zuko used a tiled arena for bending practice, but this place was Katara's playground with its many fountains and pools and all the vegetation.

She could feel the shifts of fluid—slow and steady—in all the plants around her, and the bubbling fountains were also within reach. Katas shifted from control exercises to katas with her water. She was sadly out of practice since leaving the South Pole, but it came back easily enough. It was more interesting to do it all with her eyes closed, using her water sense for everything.

By that sense, she knew someone approached and relaxed her stance. It was Kota, who was happy to resume some of her work so soon after having her baby. She paused a few meters away. Seeing Katara acknowledge her, Kota stepped closer. "Lady Katara, I apologize for interrupting your training, but Suki is here and she wishes to speak with you. She was quite…adamant."

Suki? Oh, hell. Katara wiped sweat from her face and flicked it to the ground. She replaced her water back into her waterbladder and tried to gather her thoughts. There was only one thing this was about. She followed Kota up through the palace to her apartment. Suki stood in the middle of the den, her arms folded and her shoulders high in defensiveness.

"Suki, what a surprise," Katara said, hoping Suki would take the hint and keep their confrontation discreet.

"Is she pregnant?!"

So much for discretion. Katara turned her hand out, dismissing Kota. Kota slipped away, and Katara knew there wouldn't be any servants interrupting them until this conversation was over. Hopefully no one would go blabbing about those words until she could talk to everyone. Out on the balcony, Rakka tightened her coils, but she appeared relaxed.

"Hi, Suki. What a surprise to see you here," Katara repeated. "Sit down."

Suki's jaw tightened and she shook her head. "Don't try to placate me. Is she pregnant?"

"Whatever your problem is about that, you need to work it out with Sokka—"

"Of course she's pregnant." Suki turned away with her hands raised and looked like she was a second away from stomping her foot in rage. "How could you do this to me?"

"I didn't do anything to you," Katara snapped, her temper rising too. "Azula wants to have a child with me—a child that shares both of our blood. Sokka agreed to help us."

"Your brother's having a child with your wife! _My husband_ is having a child with your wife! How is that okay?!"

"Our child won't have a father. Sokka supplied his seed—something he can spill as often as he wants that doesn't amount to anything!"

"That has nothing to do with this! How could you betray us all like this? With _her_? She killed one of my girls, she nearly killed Aang. She fought in an Agni Kai and killed a man to make a point for Kyoshi's tits! And that was well after the war!"

"Last time we fought about this, I gave you a concussion," Katara responded in quiet rage. "I love Azula, and I love every part of her, and I don't give a damn if you're too blinded to see past your prejudice to understand what a good woman she is. I'm making my life with her, and we're having a baby together. That has nothing to do with you or my brother."

"It is when you use him!"

"They didn't have sex."

"She's having his baby!" Suki abruptly burst into tears. Her shoulders shook, and she breathed in harsh gasping heaves. Despite her anger the moment before, Katara's first instinct was to gather Suki into her arms.

"What if I can't give him a child?" Suki sobbed against her. "What if we can't?"

"Shh," Katara said, rubbing her back.

Suki hiccuped against her shoulder and shivered. "I want to give him children, but I'm so afraid I won't be able to. And _she's_ already pregnant."

"Sit down." Once they were seated, Katara reached out to place her hand on Suki's abdomen. She wasn't pregnant—was soon to ovulate though—but everything Katara sensed therein was normal and healthy. Her chi was strong and balanced too. She waited until Suki looked her in the eye. "I helped Azula become pregnant. I offer that service here to people who may need a little help. The timing was right, and _I helped_. That's why she's pregnant. Suki, you're healthy. I don't feel anything abnormal, and you're about to be fertile. Don't worry about your health. Enjoy being with Sokka, and you'll be welcoming a little one into this world in no time. And _that_ child will be Sokka's first child. Okay?"

Suki nodded slowly. She wiped away her tears. "I just… I'm sorry. I don't like her, and to find out she's…"

"You don't have to like Azula or agree with her worldviews, but at least respect that I love her for a reason. Sokka also said you were okay with it when he came last time."

Suki nodded again. "I guess I wasn't really. Or I was but I assumed it just wouldn't happen."

"Are you okay now?"

She shook her head slightly. "Better than before. I'll just… I have to figure out how I can live with this arrangement."

"Stay the night, then go home and tell Sokka you love him."

"You're so bossy," Suki said with a slow smile.

"I have to be to live with my hardheaded woman."

* * *

To Katara's supreme surprise, Azula walked into the apartment that afternoon with Ana on her shoulders and Gran Gran on her heels. She gave Suki a tepid smile and disappeared into the bedroom. Katara had wondered if Azula would invent an errand to avoid interacting; sometimes she took that route when it came to Suki after Ozai's betrayal. Not to say Azula didn't sometimes prick and tease still, but she was less mean-spirited about it now.

Suki greeted Ana with a hug and a kiss. Gran Gran exchanged a wary look with Katara but lightly said, "Do you plan to leave today, Suki?"

"Don't," Azula stated, walking into the room. "Stay for our Girls' Celebration tomorrow morning. Ana will go, of course. Kanna, you're welcome."

"What is that?" Katara vaguely remembered the Girl's Day, but she and Azula had never done more than acknowledge it with a grimace and avoid the crowds by staying in.

"We haven't been before." Azula sat down next to Katara with a heavy sigh. Because Kota had gone home midday, Miza immediately handed her a glass of iced water with slices of fruit within. "Thank you," Azula responded, pressing the glass to her forehead.

"Don't feel well?"

"It was a little hot at the farm, and I'm hungry. Feeling a little piqued."

"You should lie down."

"The tea will help, as will lunch. Anyway, I'm putting on a little performance tomorrow around midday."

"A performance?"

"It used to be standard for a firebending female of the royal family to arrange the play, but as I couldn't firebend until recently and my mother has never excelled with it, noblewomen have been appointed to the task in years prior."

Katara thought of all the gory dramatic Fire Nation dramas they'd seen before and wondered how this one would be appropriate. "What is it about?"

"A firebending woman and a dragon. It's appropriate for all ages. Ana, do you want to go?"

"Yes," she said. She swung her little legs happily next to Suki. That was a particularly well-enunciated statement. Had Azula been coaching her during their farm trip?

"You're welcome too, Suki. Come see a bit of Fire Nation tradition."

Suki's jaw tightened, but she didn't outright refuse. "What is it again? Girls' Celebration?"

"Every year, we have a day designated for the young boys and a day for the young girls, celebrating our tradition and their future. It's meant to serve as a birthday of sorts, even for children who don't know theirs or whose family may not be around to celebrate with them."

Suki glanced at Katara, who nodded to her. "I'll think about it."

* * *

The following day, the royal family: Azula, Mai, Rina, Ana, Katara, Gran Gran, and Ursa left together in the midmorning to wander through a few blocks of the trade district outfitted for Girl's Celebration. Suki had deigned to join them too. There were stands that handed out snacks and candy and nick knacks—mostly paper creations, but Ana brightened happily at the sight of them.

Katara had never seen so many little girls in topknots.

Azula and Mai drew stares and opened their pathway with their very presence. Rina toddled around, saying her token words and trying to repeat the ones that the adults supplied her with. Ana was uncharacteristically wide-eyed and quiet, happy all the same.

After a little bit of wandering, Azula broke away to prepare for her performance, whatever that entailed.

Ursa insisted they get lunch, which was at a fancy restaurant that gave them a private room. Suki looked around the interior in quiet study in the same way she'd studied her surroundings through the morning. Several waiters split up their orders, and one hovered near Katara. "Wine, Lady Katara?"

She picked her favorite grape and was pleased by the wine they served. The food was good; they offered milder forms of the spices that coated everything which meant Katara could taste her food by the end of the meal. The waiters all returned at the end of their meal with little cakes for Rina and Ana, and they bowed low, thanking them for their patronage.

"Thank you," Katara responded, knowing Mai wouldn't make the effort. That earned another avid bow, and then they were on their way.

On their way out of the restaurant, Katara was shocked to see Hojima, the prostitute Azula apparently knew. She was out of her costume that day and wore a pretty set of robes, and she sat with another woman in her booth in the main dining area. Hojima made eye-contact, and apparently that was enough for her to rise and greet Katara.

"Lady Katara, soon to be Fire Lady." Hojima's smile was somehow sweet, despite it being manufactured. She reached out and brushed her fingertips over Katara's robe. "What a lovely color blue. It brings out your beautiful eyes."

"Thanks," Katara heard herself say.

Hojima's gaze darted around the women all standing by waiting for Katara to be done with the exchange. "Well, my lady, I'll leave you to your fun outing. Please do feel free to call on me whenever you wish."

Her fingers grazed Katara's hip as she turned away. It looked like an accident, but there was no way it was. Katara felt her face heat as she walked out of the building.

"Who was that?" Ursa asked.

"Someone Azula knows." If Ursa found out that woman was a prostitute, she might have a heart attack and die right there.

Mai's smirk indicated she knew exactly who that had been. Oh, damn, had Katara just opened herself up to scandal? She walked next to Mai. "Did I just do something wrong?"

Mai rolled her eyes predictably. "No one cares. That's what they do: flirt with rich nobles."

Stunning to be called that and stunning to be the object of the flirtation she'd presumed to be aimed at Azula. Had they been flirting with her all along too? Now Katara wondered: if she had walked down that Muma street by herself, would she have seen the same reaction as when she was with her wife?

* * *

The theater they went to was the largest open-air theater in Capital City, located deep in the trade district, very close to the edge of the volcano. The day had warmed up moderately, but there was intermittent cloud-cover, and the heat ended up being fairly dry. Their family sat in a separate area with a shade overhead. All around them were other women and their daughters and granddaughters, finding seats and talking quietly together.

It was packed within a few minutes, and at Katara's request, they removed their shade so more seating would open up behind them. Even then, there were women standing with their daughters on their shoulders in the back of the theater.

Everyone quieted when the percussion group began to warm up, tap-tapping and thump-thumping their way to coordination. Azula stepped out from the darkened stage entrance on one side of the arena. She wore simple clothing and her face was boldly drawn with stage makeup. She faced the royal group and projected—oh so well but aided by the stage.

At the sound of her voice, Ana gasped. "Azula!"

"Yes, it is," Katara responded softly. Ana bounced in her seat, grinning down at the stage.

"Welcome to the three-hundred eighty-sixth Girl's Celebration Day. Today is a day that marks the celebration of our history as Fire Nation women as well as the future we see in our daughters. The performance you will see is a not-oft used interpretation of the myth in question, but it starts as always: a woman goes looking for a dragon, and she finds that dragon. Thank you."

Azula walked back to the shaded stage entrance. The crowd murmured then quieted against when the drums opened into a quiet rhythm. Azula stepped out onto the sandy theater and walked slow steady steps that signified she was making a journey. Her arms lifted high with each step, shading her face and miming strain. Her steps slowed as the music did, until she fell on one knee and turned her head. Pipes whistled high and the deep, loud drums rumbled like a growl.

Then the dragon came from the darkness of the theater opening. It was a theater costume, long and beautifully decorated, and it twisted around Azula in a surprisingly serpentine fashion. The tassels that ran its length trembled, giving the thing sinewy motion and hiding the booted feet of the performers beneath it. Katara had no idea how the costume covered a dozen men and women so gracefully.

What shocked her, and apparently shocked the audience by the audible murmur, was when they began to firebend. From what Katara knew about theater, colored silk was a safer option. But when had Azula given a shit about safety? Azula's fire was her usual blue—brilliant and hot. The dragon responded with orange fire, and they executed a gracefully choreographed fighting sequence. Those katas Azula used were real, though basic, probably movements that any little girl firebender could recognize. They artfully communicated the scope of the battle on the stage without overwhelmingly flashy moves.

Azula and the dragon battled until Azula spun and collapsed on stage with a cry. A murmur rang out from the audience; it was so well-done some believed the fall was real. The dragon slowly wound itself over Azula. When its body cleared where she lay, she'd disappeared. The dragon shivered, began to writhe, and burst into a flurry of joyous movement.

The fire it breathed was blue.

After the dragon writhed back into the stage entrance, Katara sat in stunned silence. Ana, who had gasped and needed reassurance when Azula fell in the play, bounced beside Katara in happiness now. All over the theater, thunderous applause erupted—it turned into a standing ovation as all the actors came out on stage and bowed.

Then, of course, Rakka landed in the theater and slithered her way to Azula. She shifted as the actors stepped away, and her great wings opened to their awe-inspiring width. Though Katara had seen her sleeping with all four feet in the air, sneeze after trying to look at her reflection in water, and miss landing on the balcony to scramble madly for purchase with a wide-eyed look of shock, she was awed by Azula's dragon. Her young, little dragon apparently.

Katara wondered if any of the little girls understood that beautiful, hopeful message—of the play and the one that Rakka embodied. She was a minimally surprised Azula would care about something this trivial enough to put so much effort into it. But it was a piece of history, and Azula was nothing if not overachieving. Nothing if not a feminist. As Katara looked around the audience again, she realized the performance had probably touched as many mothers in the crowd as their daughters.

She turned her head and saw that Ursa was weeping into her hands. Suki looked at the woman with horror, and Katara hastened to step over. Ursa hugged Katara close and laughed with her tears. "I'm sorry. It was so beautiful."

"It was so Azula," Katara said dryly.

"Yes, exactly."

On the way back, Suki shared a carriage with Katara and her little family. Azula was probably peeling off all that makeup and had sent a note she'd meet them back at the palace.

"So that play. How did it end before?"

Katara shrugged. "I don't know. Either the woman or the dragon is beaten. That's my guess at least."

"Huh." Suki sighed, not voicing her opinion on that. "I should go home."

"Sure. We'll send some supplies with you."

"We're fine."

"I say the same thing, but Azula sends stuff anyway. Please just take it. It's fruit and spices and silk. If anything, just sell it and keep the money for your warriors."

Suki sighed again. "Okay."

"She's a good woman, Suki." Gran Gran voiced her opinion about Azula for the first time. She wasn't a stupid woman; she probably knew why Suki was here. "She's not blind to her own faults, but she will love her children fiercely no matter who they grow up to be. You can at least respect that."

Suki looked up in surprise. She exhaled shakily. "I guess I need to talk to Sokka again. I just… I'll come to your wedding, okay? Don't ask for more than that."

"Okay," Katara responded, and she was.

* * *

"What did you think?" Azula asked her that night in bed.

Katara snuggled close, enjoying the brush of Azula's hair against her cheek. "It was a good day."

"Mai mentioned Hojima."

"Oh." Katara frowned. "I hated the way they were all flirting with you when we went to Muma."

"They were flirting with _you_ too. Despite my usual reaction, it was mildly irritating. I realized you were uncomfortable."

"Azula, I was jealous!" Katara laughed. "I told you, I thought they were flirting with you, not me."

Azula sighed dramatically. "Well, that irritation was for naught."

"The performance was good, Azula. What did you mean about interpretations though?"

"The ending. Usually the woman dies. The end. It's taken as a warning against fanciful goals, against dragon chasing if you would."

"Trust you to turn that on its head."

Azula gave a soft laugh through her nose. "Well, if someone wanted to be rebellious one year, they'd kill the dragon. That was more popular during our dragon hunting years. To me, that would stand as a warning against burning one's rope in attaining goals. Torch everything, and you have nothing left to come home to." She paused. "I would have done so if I had been able to firebend during Zuko's wedding. I would have killed him, gained the throne, and lost everything I ever cared about."

"Azula, that's stupid. You wouldn't have done that. Maybe you would have thought about it."

"Katara—"

She couldn't believe Azula believed it. "You never give yourself enough credit."

Azula's fingers rubbed circles into Katara's shoulder for a few moments of silence. "The myth is one of the oldest and most renowned and reproduced legends of the Fire Nation: a princess and a dragon. The traditional translation speaks of a woman of great ambitions who approaches a dragon that then eats her. There are a few ambiguities related to the translation of a certain grapheme in the oldest written record of the legend."

"What's a grapheme?"

"A written character and its pronunciation. The one in question has different meanings in different contexts. It can be 'to end' or 'to become'."

"You chose 'become'."

"Yes. Easier to portray with my distinct fire so I used that. The caution is still there, I think, but it has a more hopeful ending for our girls. We all should be taught we can do anything we aspire as a child—within reason. We just may lose a bit of ourselves along the way."

Katara blinked back tears as she pondered the effort Azula had put into a play for little girls and their mothers. There was only one thing she could say. "I love you."

Azula lifted her head. In the darkness, Katara couldn't make out her expression. She leaned close and kissed Azula—slow and gentle.

"Did I make it easier this time?" Azula asked with uncharacteristic vulnerability.

"What?" Katara asked, uncertain what Azula's meaning was.

"To love me."

Katara kissed her again. "It hasn't been hard to love you in a long time."

* * *


	5. Vipers

Katara was surprised to receive an invitation to take tea with Laza one morning a few weeks later. The invitation was beautifully penned, and it carried the implication that Azula would be welcome too. If only Azula could go. She'd left before Katara woke up that morning, leaving Katara to deal with a grumpy child over breakfast.

A visit with an adult outside of Azula's family would be nice if only to not have to talk about the upcoming wedding. Ursa was by every day to find something to suggest. Even Iroh had asked her about it when he stopped by the apartment the week before to call on Azula. The robes were chosen, the assembly planned, all the food and drink ordered, and arrangements had been made to feed those hungry mouths not attending the ceremony. Katara had even sat down with Azula's Dai Li to talk about how they were getting to and from the temple grounds.

All in all, she was sick of thinking about her wedding.

"Go," Gran Gran told her when she mentioned the invitation.

Katara was hesitant, but she decided she would. Laza was interesting in the very least, and if Kili was there, it would be a fun morning.

Alas, Laza was alone. They shared an awkward over-brewed tea before Laza cleared her throat and said, "I've thought a little about what you said about noble families. If you want to learn the families—nobles in general—outside of your usual circle, you should come to my little fundraiser."

"Fund raiser?"

"Yes," Laza said lightly. "All the influential wives and daughters will be there, pledging time, money, or nothing to send relief to a little village in the Earth Kingdom. And if you agree to attend, more will be willing to come, and they may be willing to part with more. I'm not entirely unselfish in the request."

"What will I have to do?" How were these people so hateful towards foreigners on one hand and willing to send money to help them on another?

"Nothing aside from surviving an evening listening to them talk. Or laugh." Laza shuddered and gave another impression of the strange hooting laugh she seemed to hate so much. She saw Katara's dubious look and scowled. "Trust me, you'll understand when you meet her. You'll understand when you meet them all. They're horrible but unfortunately worth knowing."

Katara was diverted as she remembered Azula's less than flattering assessment of nobles being petty children. "What exactly happened during the coup attempt?"

"The Fire Lord never explained it?"

"Azula doesn't spend much mental effort on 'silly noble drama'. And Zuko was sparse on details." He'd had other things to worry about…and Azula hadn't been able to talk for over half a year.

"My father and his conspirators banded together on the idiotic scheme that they would usurp Fire Lord Zuko. None of them were strong—well, charismatic—enough to lead this nation, no matter how full of himself Lam was. They had to have a figurehead, and one weak enough to bow to their wishes. So they turned themselves to then Princess Azula: sequestered on Ember Island, still a powerful firebender for all the rumors, and with royal blood."

"Azula as a figurehead?" The thought alone was ridiculous, and it showed in Katara's incredulous tone.

"I thought the same thing," Laza explained. "But the traitors were all noblemen, who have little enough respect for women. Especially for a woman Azula's age with a female lover that had a past history of delusions during the Comet. Oh, she set them straight soon enough."

Katara hesitated. She'd never directly asked Azula about how she's felt and what she'd done during the comet. She'd guessed it had something to do with Ursa, but it wasn't a conversation she thought would be worth opening old wounds. She hadn't thought of it much at all, honestly, but the realization that it was all tied to Azula's losing her bending whetted her curiosity.

"Do you know what happened during Sozin's Comet?"

Laza raised one dark eyebrow. "You don't?" Then she laughed, apparently at herself. "Of course not. I doubt Fire Lord Azula would want to revisit that time, especially given the outcome. Heard tell they tore off her fingernails and hacked her hair away in the wake of Zuko's appointment."

That couldn't have helped a girl with grand ideas and impossible ideals for herself after a crushing defeat. To be treated like a traitor by her own people… No wonder Azula lost her firebending; she'd probably lost it with all of her pride and confidence. How ignorant Katara had been to just let it all go. How fortunate Azula still wanted her even though she'd taken part in that defeat.

"How could any man do that to a girl?"

"They were all beheaded by Lady Ursa's order."

Katara gaped at that revelation. "What?"

"Oh, Lady Ursa is a ruthless woman. She murdered Fire Lord Azulon—by all accounts with a flaming knife. She'll tear apart anyone who hurts her children. She comes by her name well: an old legend of a bear spirit that tore through the world to avenge her cubs' deaths. Her great paw raked through the Fire Nation, collapsing and carving out our islands as we know them."

"But she _beheaded_ them?" A cold knife cut through Katara's belly. Had the men raped her? Surely Azula would have said something, but prying information from her about emotional loss or weakness was a lesson in futility. Katara abruptly reassured herself. Azula wouldn't have hidden _that_ from her. Not that. She'd flinched when touched but never sexually.

"No one protested as far as I know." Laza reached out to refill Katara's tea, but Katara declined quickly.

"But the Comet?"

"Oh! She banished everyone—her guard, her Dai Li, even her tutors, Lo and Li. There was even a rumor she had a conversation with someone who didn't exist. This all happened in a span of a few days. Hence my late father and his idiot conspirators though Fire Lord Azula could be controlled, despite the powerful display she and Fire Lord Zuko put on with their impromptu Agni Kai."

"She nearly killed both of us." Lightning and blue fire. If Azula had been at her top form, they _would_ be dead.

"Yet Fire Lord Azula lost and lived to tell the tale. Everyone knows it's a thousand times harder to take a live prisoner than to kill an enemy in combat. You have some respect for that, believe it or not."

Katara didn't want to think of what consequence that would have had. How could she have lived her life so fully without Azula in it? It was heartbreaking enough to think back to Azula soaked and in chains, screaming out her rage and sorrow with blue flames. Katara's regret for her ignorance about Azula's life immediately after that day went through her again.

"But why did your father want to overthrow Zuko?"

"Taxes being increased, put into social programs. Loss of our military and paying restitution to the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes." She shrugged.

"But—"

"Men with a lot of money can be scary. Women too, of course. But there's something terrifyingly backward and stupid about a nobleman."

"Isn't it their part to play as citizen?"

Laza cocked her head. "Part?"

"Giving back to their nation."

"Is that what Fire Lord Azula calls it?"

"Don't you?" Azula made it seem so simple and right. It was right, just on a larger scale than the 'giving back' in the Southern Water Tribe. At least it worked the way Azula explained it.

Laza laughed. "Oh, I do. When she took me into the Fire Sage temple and said she could have me hanged for my part in the rebellion… She gave me a choice: spy for her or die. As if there was a choice. I brewed my tea and drank it too: marrying Kili, remaining a noblewoman, and gaining more reputation in one evening than most women gain in their lifetimes. And now I organize women, attend parties, and dabble in my own little habits."

Katara realized she had no idea what Laza's vices were. "Writing?"

"Oh, hardly, though I have started on that little story about the Southern Water Tribe girl." Laza's face lit up and she leaned forward in her enthusiasm. "I like to visit Capital University. It's down by the harbor, a bit of a trip. But there's a physics professor there I've been speaking with. If I preferred men, I'd kick Kili to the streets and marry him for his mind alone. So he's seventy-eight with a bad back?"

There were a lot of things about that statement worth goggling about. Katara settled on: "Physics?"

"Oh, let me show you."

Half an hour later, Katara looked from the paper full of numbers, arrows, and angles to Laza. "No offense, but I always thought you were an idiot."

"It _is_ my ploy." Laza tapped the paper. "This isn't what a noblewoman does, as elementary as vectors are. Those noblewomen who do enjoy academia pursue writing or poetry or song making. Daughters of tradesmen, laborers, farmers, they can do this. I can't, by virtue of my standing. I have to be careful who I allow to know I enjoy these 'manly' pursuits."

"Does Azula know?"

"No. At least, I haven't confided in her." Laza refilled their teas before Katara could decline again.

"I thought she might be sleeping with you back before Zuko's wedding."

Laza's hand jerked, and a staff member rushed forward to mop up the spilled tea. The whale eye look was back in full form. "Oh no. There was never— The only time we were alone together, she nearly broke my hand."

"What?" Katara said the word before she registered she'd spoken. What kind of violence was that? In contrast, Laza didn't seem upset at all. She said, "It was a lesson well learned. Oh but I've gotten off track. Let me go find the noble family tree so we can start reviewing families."

Katara let it go for now, partly because of how agitated Laza had become. "Somehow this seems like it will be less interesting than your physics."

"And yet, sadly, with more real-life application." One of Laza's staff members dropped a diagram on the table between them with a container full of colored rocks. Laza dropped white rocks on a few names. "The Lam line is ruined after the elder brother's loss in Agni Kai to Fire Lord Azula; what standing they have is through the loyal younger brother. He has one daughter now, a cute little thing. I think you were there for her birth."

Katara couldn't place it but that didn't surprise her.

Another white rock came down. "Bouli is out. Their standing and wealth are gone after quietly supporting my father's coup attempt. Fire Lord Zuko ousted them. They live now in the Earth Kingdom. And all of these…" Laza dropped more rocks. "…were involved in the last coup attempt that Fire Lord Azula thwarted. A few quietly live on outlying islands, having taken what remained of their wealth to create estates there."

"Tuon." Katara recognized his name. Laza dropped a red and blue rock over his name. "One son nearing marrying age and two preteen daughters. He supports both siblings, though until recently he only spoke well of Fire Lord Zuko.

"The Hans are a quiet bunch though they quietly support the siblings."

The name Katara couldn't place though it seemed familiar. She watched Laza drop a blue and red rock onto it.

"Rui, Ko, and Lang lines—and their smaller cousins—generally block Fire Lord Zuko, though Lang and Ko hold Fire Lord Azula in high esteem for her military conquests during the war. I suppose they're in a quandary now." Laza placed blue rocks over those two names.

"Lang is cousin to Bouli?" Katara asked, leaning closer. She thought she'd helped one Lang woman early in her pregnancy, but she hadn't been in the capital when she had her baby.

"To be honest, they're all cousins of a sort." Laza placed a blue and a red rock over the name Tazu. "Odd to think of myself as the head of the family. My sisters—who are among the Zimani and Jin families by marriage—also support Fire Lords Azula and Zuko. One of my sisters went to one of your birthing preparation classes last year. I have a little nephew now that drools on my robes."

That left about half of the family names uncovered.

"The rest don't support the Fire Lords?"

"Neutral mostly, at least overtly. Nobles have been quiet in voiced concerns, but they do fund certain councilmembers to block measures or vote for others. Kola in particular is notorious for it."

"I thought councilmembers were supposed to represent their districts."

"They are," Laza responded. "Money can be hard to track and even harder to prove. A nobleman might purchase a large order from a councilmember's family business or farm prior to a vote being counted to sway the result."

The injustice of it. How in the world did Azula let that kind of thing happen? "How is that fair?"

"It isn't. But they might claim the veto power of the Fire Lords isn't fair and doesn't represent the public's wish either. The system is imperfect, but for the most part, it works now. With Tazu or Lam controlling a Fire Lord though… That would have been a disaster."

Katara looked at all the noble lines and shook her head. She would have to study it like a waterbending scroll. Azula's little suggestion that Katara spend the day shadowing her seemed more necessary than before.

* * *

Funny that her visit to Laza was the calmest bit of her day. She received a message from a harried looking messenger from a noblewoman she'd been monitoring through pregnancy as she was leaving Laza's estate midmorning. The woman's water had broken—surprising to Katara to hear it, given how rare it was—and they demanded Katara's presence immediately.

By the time Katara returned home to the palace, it was nearing midnight, and Azula was in her study. She wore no topknot or hairpiece and was in a loose sleeping robe. Katara touched her shoulder. "It's too late to be working."

Azula softened and heaved a sigh. "This is quite a headache that I signed up for."

"I used to think that rulers all sat on their asses all day."

"I did sit on my ass all day," Azula quipped. "It's my wrist that hurts."

Azula was settled in bed a few minutes later, though she had a scroll and pen in bed with her. Azula's eyes seemed more on Katara than the work she'd lugged into the bedroom.

"We went out tonight—Kanna and Ana and I. We saw a little musical put on for children." Azula caught her eye. "Should I have waited?"

Katara crossed the room to kiss Azula for her worry. "I'm sure we'll go again. Did Ana like it?"

"Yes. She was well-behaved but grumpy by the time we got back. She went to bed in a fit because of it."

"I'm sure she won't remember it in the morning."

Katara abruptly remembered agreeing to Laza's dinner the following night and felt a twitch of nervousness. She went into the closet and considered what she'd wear, then emerged and decided to just go to bed.

"You've been associating with Laza a great deal recently."

Katara glanced over. She wasn't surprised Azula knew she'd been to see Laza that morning. "Don't you like her?"

"'Like' is a strong word," Azula replied, flipping the page in her book and making a note on the scroll in her lap.

'Like' was a strange word, but for whatever reason, Azula seemed to find quirky Laza amusing. She was amusing, just not in the way Azula usually liked—though Azula liked Sokka and Hakoda in her own way. Azula apparently didn't like Laza well enough not to almost break her hand. It was upsetting to hear about her doing something like that; Katara was disappointed and angered in one as she abruptly remembered the statement. She couldn't believe Azula would use that kind of violence against an ally, a friend even.

"She said you almost broke her hand."

Azula gave a laugh from the bed, exactly the opposite of what she should have done. Her expression shifted into a pinched defensive look when she judged Katara's disappointed anger. "I apologized for it afterward," she said petulantly.

"You worry about becoming Ozai and then you do something like that!"

It was the wrong thing to say, but Katara hadn't thought about saying it until the words were out. She regretted it immediately. Azula looked away for a moment. The hurt on her face was easy to see. Her words were a mix of sarcasm, bitter anger, and defensiveness: "Are we really going to fight about a threat I made to a _traitor_ over five years ago? What do you want me to say? That I wouldn't do it to her now or that I regret doing it? I don't regret it! I'm so sorry if that disappoints you."

Through Azula's angry retort, Katara approached. She willed herself not to respond to Azula's tone, only the hurt. She wrapped her hand around Azula's wrist and squeezed. "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair of me to say. I'm irritated from earlier, and it bothered me to hear about it today so it's fresh and it shouldn't be."

Azula took a long breath.

Katara continued, "I trust you—in all ways. I told Suki she could go suck a rock because you're a good woman, and I love you for a reason."

"Just one?" Azula asked. She met Katara's eyes now, less guarded than before. Katara leaned in to kiss her gently.

"Don't get greedy."

Azula's teeth were on her lip before the end of the kiss. "I'm Fire Lord," she responded as if that meant anything.

"I'm sorry."

Azula nodded and kissed her hand. Still wounded, but nothing Katara could fix with words now. Damn her own short temper.

Back in front of the vanity, Katara went back to her evening routine. "I have a fund raiser thing to go to tomorrow night."

"Do you?" The question was a dry one.

"I think I should meet the…noblewomen in a more social setting than my usual."

"Do you find it disconcerting your hands have been in the vaginas of many noblewomen in this city?"

"I didn't before now. Thank you, Azula, for putting that thought into my head." Katara shucked her inner robe, which was sweaty around the armpits and smelled like it. Tonky immediately began to roll around on it; stupid cat. The room was warm, and Katara was still overheated so she enjoyed the feel of the air on her naked skin. "Do you think it's a bad idea?"

"They won't be your friend. Surely you know that."

Katara looked at herself in the mirror. She had a pimple on her chin. It was stupid to be this age and still have skin problems. Katara wiped her face with a cool cloth and sighed into it. "I know, I know. But I don't want to be a…recluse. They should know that I plan to be…a part of their family, I guess."

"It's no family. It's a pit of vipers."

She scoffed. "Vipers? They're just women."

"Women are cruel."

True, perhaps. Men could be in different ways, but women knew how to strike where it hurts. Katara saw that in herself—even just a few minutes before; she saw it in Azula…and they were nothing like what Laza and Azula described a few of these noblewomen to be. Laza herself had sent her father to the noose with no qualms, and Laza seemed harmless in general. It was a little removed from being called a 'savage' or 'whore', which Katara heard a few times back before Azula moved to the Capital. Those words still hurt, but Katara was afraid now for Ana more than anyone.

All these negative thoughts.

"I'll be fine. I know a few nice people in this country, you know."

Azula smiled at her in the mirror. Her expression was soft—the hurt from earlier no longer visible—and her eyelids were low from sleepiness.

Katara scratched her scalp as it tingled in relief with her hair's release. She stuck her fingers in her hair and shook it before tying it into a loose ponytail. That felt fabulous. When she looked in the mirror, Azula's eyes were directed to her bare backside. Katara gave her butt a little shake, and Azula laughed softly. "You shouldn't tease me."

"No, I shouldn't; I can't deliver on the promise. I'm so tired I'll probably be asleep as soon as I lie down."

"Was the birth difficult?"

Katara wondered if she should stop being surprised that Azula remembered her work schedule. To be fair, there was no way for Azula to forget when the staff probably told her about every step Katara took every day, evidenced by Azula knowing she'd seen Laza. Not that it wasn't the same for Katara. When she'd stepped in the door and detoured to kiss Ana's sleeping cheek, Miza had swept in and quietly informed Katara about the musical she'd missed.

As to the birth she'd supervised: "Not difficult, just long. They called me when she was only a tenth dilated."

"Why not leave and return later?"

Katara shrugged. Her shoulders ached, and her back felt tight with unresolved tension. She should have forced the entire family out of the room, but her patient had been a first time mother and had wanted the support of her family—her nervous, discriminating family that had questioned most of Katara's medical advice, no matter that Katara had delivered around a dozen babies per year of her life since she was a teenager. No matter that they had put in a special request for Katara, not one of the many Fire Nation physicians in the capital.

They'd given her a sizeable bonus to her usual fee, something Katara was a little uncomfortable accepting given how much money Azula had. Most of the money she made went back to the Southern Water Tribe in some way or another. Katara selfishly thought about finding a discrete clothier to fashion Azula some pretty maternity robes.

"Maybe I should have. But that's when the labor does progress more quickly than expected." Katara climbed into bed. "Anyway, she had a healthy baby."

Azula put up her reading material, blew out the lamp, and opened her arm, and Katara settled against her body, thankful the embrace was welcome. Warmth, comfort, love, and a scent and feel so ingrained in her that she feared she would never learn to sleep alone again. Deep, clear breaths and the steady, slow lub-dub of Azula's heart were a beautiful rhythm.

In her belly, Katara felt a much faster heartbeat. Azula placed her hand over Katara's, squeezing. "Do you sense anything new?"

"No, just the heartbeat," she said, eyes closed. "Everything feels normal."

Azula took a big breath and released it in a long sigh.

"Your heart is big."

"Your belief in my forgiving, charitable ways—"

Katara poked Azula's side, causing her abdominal muscles to tense. She didn't bother to open her eyes. "Your physical heart, dork."

"Is it?"

"Mmhm. All that exercise, maybe. Your heart speeds up when you breathe in…"

After a few moments of quiet, Azula abruptly sat up, scaring Katara into wakefulness with her cry. "No! Outside!"

A grunt emerged from their balcony curtains, and the curtains flapped back into their previous position as Rakka coiled up on the balcony again. Katara almost felt sorry for the dragon. They both resettled. Azula murmured, "Sorry for startling you."

After a moment of quiet, Azula asked, "Is that normal?"

Katara wasn't sure where the question had come from. "Shooing a dragon away? No."

"No, my heart rate." It was a classic Azula response, dripping with sarcasm. Katara gently pinched her side for it, and Azula grunted in irritation. Katara responded in a normal tone: "Oh, yes. For people who exercise a lot."

"Does yours?"

"You know, I don't know."

"I'll have to listen for you."

"Later… Later on…"

She was asleep.

* * *

She woke up at some point in the darkness to find Azula's ear on her chest.

* * *

Katara started out the next evening in a disconcerting situation: Kota—who was staying late that day—quietly insisted Katara change into a gaudy robe set with a heavy lady hairpiece. Katara was immediately stifled, hot, and felt ridiculously overdressed. It didn't help when Ana giggled at her and pronounced, "Silly!"

Her toddler even thought she looked ridiculous, but several staff—Li, Kota, and Tan—all nodded approvingly. She knew they would never send her out in public if they didn't think she looked appropriate, so Katara sucked up her discomfort and walked out of the apartment. She would feel better if Azula had been around to approve, not that Azula cared about clothing. If Azula ever took it into her silly head that nudity was practical, Katara had no doubt Azula wouldn't have an scrap of self-consciousness about going about her business in the buff.

Katara laughed to herself considered that situation—and the new fashion that would spark. Why, all the nobles would be as dark as Katara if they walked around in the Fire Nation sun naked all day. She studied the city beyond the gauzy curtains of her carriage and marveled that it had become familiar to her, at least in part.

The air began to cool slightly as dusk turned the edges of the volcano gray. Here in Capital City, they lost at least two hours of daylight to the high horizon, which probably kept temperatures a little lower than the areas outside of the dead volcano. Katara's robes were still too hot, but at least they kept the mosquitoes off of her skin. She stepped into Laza's courtyard and wondered vaguely how often Azula had been here as she followed a pleasant servant— She stopped and mentally chastised herself for using that term even in her head.

Any lingering doubts about her attire were silenced when Katara stepped into the inner gardens of the estate and got a good eyeful of the elaborate robes, hairstyles, and hairpieces that these women sported. Zuko would be horrified to see his awful fashion was still going strong.

"Thank the dragon!"

Katara silently echoed the sentiment as she reached out to take Kili's hand. Practical Kili wore attire that reminded Katara of Azula back on Ember Island: casual trousers and a simple tunic. Kili had none of Azula's sharp, hard intensity. Instead, she grinned, her teeth white behind her tanned skin. She wore her hair just long enough for a topknot; her hair was unadorned. Katara wondered if she'd been loitering around the entryway waiting for her.

"I'm surprised you're here."

"Laza threatened to…rescind certain rights if I skipped. And you?"

"I wanted to meet some women."

"And what does your wife think of _that_?"

"She said something about venomous snakes." Katara laughed despite herself, amused at Kili's implication.

"I'm pretty sure everyone I know has made the comparison." Kili's pleasant smile slipped. "And here comes one viper."

The said viper was a pretty middle-aged woman whose face had begun to wrinkle around her eyes. Katara was struck by the fact she had no laugh lines to speak of. Even Azula, who was so often sober, had started to develop some. "Hello," the woman said.

"Hello," Kili replied with a smile. They must know each other, Katara surmised. She'd expected some introductions, but the woman continued with a sugary smile. "It's so nice to see such diversity at our little soirees."

"Why invite diversity when we can have the same old entitled self-importance?"

Katara was startled that Kili was even capable of delivering the insult. The woman's smile didn't break. Her eyes went back and forth from Kili to Katara. "You two must have so much in common with your humble upbringings."

Katara was flabbergasted by the blatant rudeness, but Kili didn't flinch. "Funny. My family makes ten times over your husband's income. If my upbringing was humble, you must live in absolute squalor."

The woman's expression pinched. Kili still smiled, but she said, "We'll talk to you later."

To Katara's shock, the woman went away at Kili's veiled suggestion. Kili looked on Katara with pity. "I am so sorry for you. Ah, and here my wayward wife comes to begin your torture." Her voice shifted lower in tone. "Don't let them see if they hurt you."

Laza was surprisingly beautiful tonight. She was always pretty in a porcelain way—a muted bland pretty—but it shone into something more vibrant than usual. She reached out to press Katara's hands. Then, with an almost unhappy sigh, she leaned over to kiss Kili's cheek. "I release you from your commitment, my dear."

"You mean I can marry that new actress from Love Amongst the Dragons?"

Laza rolled her eyes and turned her shoulder. She spoke loudly enough for Kili to overhear: "The only other thing she might marry would be her mongoose dragons."

"I do have a lovely queen I'm breaking in—"

The look Laza leveled at her wife had no effect other than causing Kili to laugh. Kili swooped in for another kiss, which Katara thought was delightful. They were an odd couple, but they worked well together. Katara didn't miss that a few women nearby looked on in obvious disapproval.

Laza watched Kili go with an almost wistful expression. She reached out to take Katara's hand. "Come, let's mingle."

They moved through the crowd slowly, with Laza pausing to greet one woman or another.

"It's too bad," a discernable voice said nearby, "that the royal family is now tainted by a child of inconvenience. While Fire Lord Zuko has always been soft towards the Water Tribe, I never expected the princess to fall as far as she has."

There was no single emotion that classified what Katara felt in that moment: anger, humiliation, sorrow for her daughter…

Then a titter of nervous laughter spread through a few women around them.

Katara wished she had Azula's easy way of cutting people down with a word or a look. But Azula had the powerful backing of the Fire Nation throne, and she'd grown up with that backing. Katara had deep confidence in her healing ability, her waterbending power, and her own allies, but she didn't have the sort of social deftness to know what to say and how to say it in these situations.

She'd known that people would look down on Ana. It hadn't mattered as long as Azula loved her as their daughter. Azula sheltered Ana as she had Katara. Now Katara had to figure out how she could shelter Ana too. Water slapping a noblewoman would do nothing but propagate the stereotype, no matter how that was Katara's first instinct.

"That's Xia, wife of a Councilman Ru of the Barrier Isle district," Laza said quietly. Her eyes communicated pity. "Not all take her side."

"Meaning most do."

"Since you haven't mingled in these crowds before, no one has had to check their words, and that makes them bold now." Laza had led them towards a server, who bowed and supplied a round goblet of wine. Katara scented it: an earthier grape she didn't mind. She asked Laza, "Is this from Gaoling?"

"Ah, you know your grapes, Lady Katara!" a happy voice said from a group they passed. The happy voice was connected to a face Katara recognized. "Ming," she said. "How are you? How is your little boy?"

The woman was younger than most in the crowd; she'd had her first child a year before. The group of women with her seemed surprised she and Katara greeted each other with familiarity, but they covered those emotions with smiles.

"Lady Katara brought my beautiful baby boy into this world safely. She was lovely and gentle the whole time. I know I've spoken of her before." Ming smiled around at her friends and one by one, she introduced the women. At least they were polite, giving fairly formal bows in turn. Katara returned the bows with only her shoulders and head; there were too many women and she didn't want to fiddle with where to place her hands in relation to each other with a formal bow.

"Are you enjoying being back in the capital, Lady Katara?" one woman asked her.

"I am. It's nice to be back during this time of year. We don't get much sunlight in the winter down south."

"You must be looking forward to your wedding," Laza said with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

Katara felt a little flush of what was anticipation. "I am. Though technically Azula and I are already married."

A gasp passed through the group of women. Katara was as startled to realize the group that was listening had grown as she was by the chorus of gasps.

"You _did_ elope?" Laza asked.

"It was a proper marriage!" Katara laughed softly. She remembered Azula looking into her eyes like she was the only thing in that moment that mattered to her. Her words… Katara still pondered over Azula's vow with wonder. The warmth that flushed her chest in that moment had nothing to do with her wine. "We married in the Southern Water Tribe with my family and friends there."

"A quaint little ceremony, I'm sure." It was venomous Xia who slid into the midst of the group along with her negativity. Her condescension was naked and ugly. All at once, Katara felt belittled and insulted, and she tried desperately not to let it show in her voice or her reply: "We may not have had thousands of people attending, but it was legitimate."

" _Legitimate_ ," Xia said with her nose wrinkled. She laughed. "Funny you should use that word."

There was no masking it her aggression. What would Azula say right now: _Be careful with that tongue or I'll take it off._ Something like that. Katara would never manage to say it. She met Xia's eyes without shame and willed her face not to show her anger and embarrassment.

"Funnier that _you_ would make note of it, Xia." Those words came from a soft voice attached to a vaguely familiar face. The woman was of money based upon the emblem of her robe; it was sewn by the same man that fitted the royal family. "Especially after your words about children of inconvenience earlier. Be careful else someone might think too long on how your accusations cast a shadow upon yourself."

Xia went pale. She pinched her lips together and her gaze flickered around the crowd. No women tittered for her now and no one met her eyes except Katara. She was alone in her obvious rudeness, and she finally realized it. Xia raised her head, forced a smile, and walked away.

The woman who had spoken on Katara's behalf now smiled and took her hand, lowering her head in a bow. Her hair was streaked with gray, pulled into a top-knot more severe than Azula's on a good day. She was small and slender, waifish and lovely. "I doubt you remember me, Lady Katara, but you helped me carry and deliver my son many years ago on Ember Island."

"Lady Han," Katara said with surprise, finally placing the woman. "How is your boy?"

"Strong, about to turn eleven, and like his father on his bad days." Han smiled and gave Katara's hand a gentle squeeze. "Pay no mind to the dirt; they're beneath you, Fire Lady."

It was an appalling show of blackmail and public shaming. Azula would have liked it. Katara wasn't sure she would ever have the sheer nastiness to put a woman or man down in such a way. Yet her impressions of this woman had always been that she was gentle and harmless.

"Well," Laza said abruptly. "Go mingle. I think you'll be fine."

She walked away, leaving Katara with the group of women still around her. She folded into their conversation surprisingly easily, though it was disconcerting to wonder if any of these women would turn around to talk badly about her later. As Azula had said many times before: petty noble drama wasn't worth a thought. So Katara elected not to think about it.

After her second glass of wine, Katara was growing tired. She was ready to go home, but she didn't know how to extricate herself. She kept her eye out for Laza but never saw her.

A murmur passed around the crowd, then several shouts of alarm. Air swirled through the courtyard as great wings beat overhead. Women scattered quickly, leaving just enough room for Rakka to land. The damn dragon snuffed the air, focused on Katara, and gave a snake-like slide towards her, brushing her bristly face against Katara's robes and leaving evidence of the touch with excessive blue and white hairs.

"Rakka," Katara said in shock. Rakka chuffed and rolled slightly to expose the back of her ear. What the hell was Katara going to do to get this dragon out of the party now? Apparently rubbing her ear was the best bet. She reached out and scratched, and Rakka gave a deep moan of pleasure. Katara was definitely the center of attention now. At least a hundred wide noblewomen eyes were on her right now because of this damn dragon.

Another murmur swept the already murmuring crowd. Azula had come in her Fire Lord paraphernalia, all power and regal snootiness. She ignored the women around her and walked to Katara through a sea of parting noblewomen, leaning close to kiss her cheek. "Good evening, darling," she said softly.

She patted Rakka. "Go somewhere else. And not on Laza's roof."

Rakka moaned again, this time in protest, and launched herself off the ground, likely sending more than a few noblewoman hairpieces crooked.

"I came hoping to bring you home," Azula continued softly. "I thought this might cause a little stir, and come to find, my dragon beat me to it. I suppose we'll have to suffer the company for a little while now."

Katara took her arm, and they went around the room. Katara made most of the introductions, but she allowed Azula to carry most of the vapid conversation—only cutting in when Azula was being particularly rude. Part of her had to fight not to laugh with the oddities of Azula's conversation with these women. Azula asked if one woman remembered falling flat on her face in diction class at the Royal Academy for Girls. Other more notable subjects included a husband's spendings in Muma District, a woman's father who was caught stealing an ostrich horse egg from under a brooding ostrich horse—the woman took no offense, gave the notorious hooting laugh in reply and said, "He had a full head of hair before and now he has a great bit bald spot on top!"—and finally about the Earth Kingdom ambassador enjoying fat women rather too much.

Why was Katara's wife so _strange_?

Finally, Laza approached and bowed. "Fire Lord Azula! What a pleasure."

"Always a pleasure to see you, Laza. Where has your wife escaped to?"

"Likely back to her farm to check on her prize queen. She'll kick herself for missing a dragon though."

"Already having an affair," Azula said with a surprisingly gentle smile.

Laza rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. More likely to bed down with a mongoose dragon than a human."

"She loves you." Katara dragged their conversation back.

"Call on us next week," Azula told Laza. "Bring your wife."

"We certainly will, Fire Lord. Fire Lady. Thank you both for your presence, and have a wonderful evening." Laza paused. "Kili will ask if she can ride the royal dragon. I respectfully request that you tell her 'no'."

Azula gave a startled laugh.

In the safety of the palanquin, Katara slumped into her seat with a groan.

"How was your first foray into the world of elite bitches?"

She laughed and shook her head. "It was something, all right. I didn't believe you, but they were as bad as you said."

"Boredom makes women rather nasty. Who did you have issue with?"

"Why? What evil thing are you going to do to them?"

"What makes you think I'll do something evil? I'm thinking more dastardly."

Katara laughed; Azula was in a silly mood. She only hoped some of the conversation earlier that visibly flabbergasted some of the women resulted from that silliness and not her inherent awkwardness. "Lady Han had nice things to say about me and nasty things to say about the nasty woman in question."

Azula looked at her in surprise. "How are you acquainted with the Hans?"

"Her son was the first Fire Nation child I helped deliver. It was back on Ember Island."

Azula's surprise grew. "Fortuitous. She's a formidable woman, the only daughter of a great general. Her husband didn't serve, but he's got a head for finances. They're an old, powerful family, and that son—who they never even hoped to have—is the only heir to the whole damn estate. How did I not know?"

"I thought I mentioned it. You pouted about the time I spent doing it. I remember you talking about babies being parasites and spewing body fluids from all orifices too."

"I was young and stupid though perhaps not incorrect about babies," Azula responded dryly. "Tell me about the nasty woman I have dastardly plans for."

"Some Lady Xia."

"Ah, yes, Xia. Not a nice woman."

"Apparently she has a bastard child?"

Azula raised an eyebrow. "An unfortunate affair in more ways than one. The child was birthed and sent away to be raised by extended family."

Katara's stomach dropped. "That's horrible! Who would take a woman's baby away?!"

"She _chose_ to have the child sent away," Azula clarified.

"Oh."

"I can't guess as to how much that decision haunted her or how difficult it was to make in the moment. Xia chose to keep her marriage, her wealth, and her standing by giving up her bastard born."

Katara shook her head. "What does it matter who the father was?"

"Our child won't be born under those circumstances," Azula said quickly. She took Katara's hand, and her voice was uncharacteristically soft even in its vehemence. "Surely you know that."

"Not to them, maybe a lot of them."

"Fuck them then," Azula said fervently. "They're ignorant fools, and we'll make this world a better place by showing them how wrong they are."

It was enough to make Katara yank Azula's face to hers for a hard kiss. She regretted her sharp words about Ozai the last night and poured that into her kiss. This woman was the one she loved, and she loved her for a reason.

"I want you," Azula told her breathlessly.

Their kisses were heated all the way home, but Azula managed to look as dignified as usual as they walked to their apartment. "Ana is having a sleepover with Zuko's children."

And Gran Gran was currently visiting a hot spring resort with Ursa out of the city. They had the apartment to themselves; Katara wasn't surprised though she hadn't expected Ana to be away.

They closed the bedroom door behind them, and Katara reached into one of Azula's many dressers to retrieve silk scarves. She fingered them, remembering her first naughty thought when she'd seen them.

She set them aside and washed her face, letting her hair down. She removed all of her clothing, and Azula came up behind her still in her Fire Lord robes. She pressed her silk-covered body against Katara's back and pressed a wet kiss to her neck. They looked at each other through the mirror as Azula's hand dipped between Katara's legs.

Katara's breasts rose and fell with her heavy breaths as she divided her attention between Azula's avid gaze and the slow stroke of her fingers. She was so deliciously wicked.

"Go lie down."

Azula nuzzled her neck again so gently before she obeyed. "Clothes on?"

"Yes."

Azula stretched herself across their bed and raised one dark eyebrow. Katara pulled on a blue silk robe, which surprised Azula further. When Katara picked up the silk scarves, Azula took a long breath. It was a quick thing to tie two release knots around Azula's wrists, connecting her wrists to the bedframe.

"Fire Lord," Katara murmured. "What a fine war prize."

Azula's gaze settled into acceptance, then hot desire. Then, with the slightest shift, she bared her teeth and leaned forward, stretching her bonds only slightly. "How dare you do this, you filthy Southern peasant?!"

Those words may have stung a long time ago, but this was playful. Katara ran a hand over Azula's shin and left her palm on Azula's upper thigh. "This Southern peasant managed to capture the mighty Fire Lord Azula. And now you're in my bed. What does that say about you?"

Azula sank back, her jaw tight with barely controlled rage. Katara couldn't help it; she leaned forward to kiss Azula. It was a hard kiss, ending with Azula's teeth on Katara's lip.

"Be careful," Azula hissed. "Even caged fox otters have teeth."

"I'm a pirate, sweetheart," Katara replied just as sharply. "You'll be begging for it before you know it."

"Fire Lords don't beg," Azula retorted.

They both burst into laughter. "This makes me feel very silly," Azula admitted. "I don't mind trying, but…"

"No, we can just be us. I think we need more planning for something like that." Katara leaned close enough to taste Azula's breath, and Azula inhaled and leaned closer. Their kisses were soft and escalated again, tongues meeting and long breaths taken of each other's air.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Yes," Azula hissed. She turned her head, allowing Katara to kiss down her neck. Katara reached out to pluck Azula's belt open. She ran a hand between the two edges of Azula's robe, tugging it open. Azula's breast binding, trousers, and underwear were the next barriers. Katara took a few fumbling moments to strip Azula of her trousers and unstrap the bindings and underwear, though she left the cloth edges where they were.

Katara sat back, putting this picture of Azula into her mind.

Azula's expression was hazy with desire. The combination of her bindings tugged open and her robes parted down the middle to show her body with her hair and Fire Lord crest still in place was ridiculously sexy. Her breasts were significantly heavier than they'd been before pregnancy.

"Lovely," Katara murmured. Katara placed a kiss to her ankle, then her knee. Azula took another sharp breath and her legs opened slightly, but not enough to invite more touches. "No?" Katara asked.

"Come sit on my face. Please. I want you."

Oh. Well… Katara crawled up to the head of the bed and lowered herself over Azula's face.

Azula groaned in pleasure and lifted her head to reach Katara before she'd settled on her knees. Katara grabbed the bedframe and watched Azula—hair still up, makeup smudged from their kisses earlier, Fire Lord crest still in place—worked between her legs as if it was something she loved more than all other things.

It took only a few minutes before Katara pulled away to collapse next to Azula, her sex pulsing with her orgasm. "Baby, that was good."

"Fire Lords are exceptional at all they do."

The only thing she could do in response to that was laugh. Katara reached out to pluck away Azula's hairpiece and loosen her hair from the topknot. Azula's hair fell against her breasts, wavy and velvety dark brown. She leaned close to breathe that spicy scent.

"I love you," Azula said more seriously.

Katara pressed her hands down against Azula's thighs; this time Azula opened them wide, baring herself and shifting her hips up in question. Katara took a long tonguing kiss of Azula's sex. Azula grunted, as ready as Katara had ever seen her.

"Do you want my mouth or my fingers?"

Azula gave another groan as Katara touched her where she'd kissed before.

Katara leaned close and kissed one nipple, then another. She lifted one breast to take a breath beneath it—Azula's essence, her scent untainted by perfume or powder. Her kisses traveled up Azula's breasts to her shoulders to her neck, and Azula strained to meet her in a hard kiss that was all experience and love combined into something Katara knew so well.

They breathed hard against each other before Azula finally said, "Fingers."

"Are you sure?"

Azula grunted in impatience but said earnestly, "Please."

She slipped inside Azula and moved them in a slow rhythm until Azula was panting hard against her mouth. Katara drew back to watch, and Azula's expression tightened. By her expression and her harsh breaths, she was close. Katara kissed her once again. "Baby, let go. Come for me. I want to see it." Azula bared her teeth and came with a cry. Everything around Katara's fingers went wetter and tighter. Katara felt the echoing clench through Azula's pelvis with her bending, and it made her own sex twitch in pleasure.

"Mm," Azula murmured a moment later. Katara withdrew and slowly reached up to tug the scarf open while Azula caught the edge of the scarf between her finger and thumb on the other side and released herself.

"Southern pirates aren't very good at tying up prisoners," she said, all humor and happiness.

Katara laughed; she'd forgotten their previous game. "Snooty Fire Lords apparently don't want to escape Southern pirates."

Azula kissed her again before getting up to wash her face and pull on a robe. Katara considered the chances of an interruption and decided she'd rather sleep naked that night.

"I wonder if that Southern pirate would be surprised to become a Fire Lady someday."

" _I'm_ surprised, so I guess that's a 'yes'."

"But you're happy?"

Katara pulled her closer and kissed her gently on the lips. "Yes."

She felt Azula's body relax by degrees as she heaved the soft sigh that heralded sleep.

"Good night."

"Good night, darling," Azula echoed quietly.

"We should try that pretending thing again sometime."

"I suppose," Azula responded. "We can pretend like we were still at war."

Katara had to laugh at that. "Maybe. It might get little heated."

"Is that a bad thing in bed?"

"I guess not. Not with you at least, Fire Lord."

"How do you always manage to make my title sound like an insult?"

"Go to sleep."


	6. Titles

When Azula arranged for Katara to shadow her for a day to learn about being Fire Lord, Katara hadn't expected to be so bored. All everyone did was talk, and they all did a lot of it.

They started the morning with a meeting with Azula's aid, a severe old man who droned on sonorously about the agendas for the day as they took tea. Azula interjected at odd intervals with questions or statements, but that hardly seemed to change the man's rhythm.

Then they sat in council sessions for the rest of the morning. There was a lot more talking—and arguing—about things that didn't seem in the least bit significant to the lives of the Fire Nation citizens.

Lunch was with Zuko and an Earth Kingdom ambassador about trade agreements. At least it was a little more informal, and Zuko and Azula traded insults for the first few minutes while Katara tried not to laugh into her food. The Earth Kingdom ambassador alternated between staring into his lap and opening his mouth—presumably to get them back on track—before closing it again when one of the siblings continued their petty argument.

Then they sat on a smaller military council for a few hours, discussing an issue with pirates off the western coast of the Earth Kingdom. That got a little more interesting, if only to watch Azula and Zuko argued about which fleet to allocate to find and dispatch said pirates. Azula's suggestions were ultimately chosen, though there was a compromise about a few tactics. It was interesting to see these grizzled war veterans looking to Azula as an authority on skirmishes. Everyone left the meeting feeling good about the future—except the unknowing pirates, of course.

"The Earth Kingdom should learn how to fend for its own shores," Azula muttered as they walked down the hallway together.

"They owe us. That's important," Zuko retorted.

"It's also near your precious Republic City."

"It's not _my_ city!"

And so their arguments continued.

Midafternoon, Azula and Katara left the palace to attend a small "party", where they made rounds, shook hands with random men and women, and left without a bit of food.

"What was the point of that?" Katara asked when they got back in their carriage.

"I have no idea," Azula responded with a long sigh. She tugged heavy privacy curtains closed, clearly not wanting to interact with the public. "A showing of support for Tuon. It was his party to ask for funds for wounded veterans. I've already pledged, but in going myself, it may drum up more support and more donations. He asked. It seemed petty not to go."

There wasn't much to add to that statement. After a few minutes, Katara asked, "Do you want to go to Ember Island after the marriage?"

"Seems a fitting honeymoon. Likely I can't spare more than a week."

"That's fine. Plenty of time to enjoy each other alone. We should go without servants. Maybe Ana can come later in the week."

Azula's eyes cut to hers and held her gaze for a moment. "Who will clean up after us?"

" _We_ will. Just like in the South." Or Katara would clean up Azula's mess ninety percent of the time.

"Yes," Azula said in firm acceptance of that idea.

Katara considered the term Azula used to describe their week away. "Where does the term 'honeymoon' come from anyway?"

Azula raised her eyebrows. "I'm not sure."

Katara waited for the long list of theories to begin, but Azula for once remained silent. Katara kept her amusement to herself and bumped shoulders with Azula. "They say that in the old times in the Northern Water Tribe, men who wanted to marry would steal his chosen woman from her family and take her off on the tundra to get her with child."

"Charming: welcome the wife into the family with a little raping," Azula sneered.

"Supposedly part of the reason so many women chose to go with the men to the south."

They kept the tradition in some part in the South. The betrothal necklace might catch back on after the North and South reconnected, but what Katara knew from her childhood was what had been done in their tribe for generations. The potential suitor, usually a man (though exceptions did exist) would ask his lover to come with him out onto the tundra. He would make her a traditional igloo, feed her, and provide her with warmth to show he could support a family with her. Boys and girls alike considered the ability to build a good serviceable igloo from snow and ice as a personal milestone to adulthood. Ice dodging served as a tribal ceremony, but the igloo was deeply personal.

When Sokka had taught himself to construct an igloo out of a machismo need to show his ability to provide for himself, Katara had learned for practical purposes. Katara had only seen it as a utility, but she'd been a child and hadn't a thought about future romantic prospects. The good igloo had served her well though; she still remembered the night spent in one with her lover fondly.

The adage was: A warm igloo does well to ward off frostbite, and nothing warms an igloo like two lovers on their wedding night. Katara added her own addendum: No one warms an igloo better than a firebender lover.

A very good memory… Katara drew closer to kiss Azula's neck.

Azula gave a soft laugh, and as she spoke, Katara had to trace their conversation to find the tangent her mind had taken. "There's an old tale from before women were considered full citizens: the men kept going to war despite every protest and displeasure. The women all got together and boycotted sex, and the war ended almost immediately."

"Is that true?"

Azula shrugged. "Some historians like to trace that particular story to the surrender that ended the War of the Dragon Cloud, but I think it's a fanciful connection."

"It could have happened."

"I'll give you that." Azula lifted Katara's hand and intertwined their fingers. Katara could feel the weight of her gaze. "Would you deny me in that situation?"

Katara knew this was a teasing question and replied in kind. "Would you stop a war if I did?"

Azula's lips stretched in a slow smile; Katara loved that soft smile. Her eyes hooded, and she slid off the bench of the carriage. Her kiss was slow and exploratory, and Katara's interest sparked. That particular kiss was a certain precursor to Azula's mouth finding another area of her body to pleasure. What Katara didn't expect was for Azula to tug her pants down.

"Now?" Katara said incredulously, startled by the escalation of their touches. As much as they treated a carriage ride home as foreplay, they'd never had sex in a carriage before. Katara had never considered it seriously. Apparently Azula had. Azula's fingers played with her, and then she bent her head.

"Really?" Katara whispered, a hand already against her mouth to muffle her moans.

Azula withdrew slightly, her eyes remaining between Katara's legs. What a sexy sight, seeing her on her knees like that with her golden Fire Lord hairpin and immaculate topknot. Her full lips were pursed as she met Katara's gaze. "Well, I could always snatch you away in the dead of night and have my way with you later. But why delay?" Katara spread her legs further. Seeing no further protest from Katara, Azula refocused on her goal.

Azula was probably as turned on by the thought of their possible discovery than the sex itself. Katara was surprised by how quickly she came, though in a sense it felt like it took a long time. She muffled herself, trying not to cry out or moan and brought back into that worry again when she startled herself with a high soft cry. She bit her hand gently as she orgasmed.

Azula helped her pull up her pants and tie them, easing that worry. Katara tipped Azula's chin up, and they kissed deeply. She smelled her musk on Azula's face, tasted it in her mouth, and used the inside of her wide sleeve to wipe the evidence from Azula's face. Not a moment later did their carriage lurch to a stop.

For a moment, they just looked at each other. Then they burst into childish giggles.

Katara couldn't quite meet their driver's eyes; she hoped beyond hope that he had no idea what they had been up to…not that anyone would dare breathe it about Azula. Still…

They both washed their faces and hands when they entered Azula's study. Somehow Azula could concentrate enough to pen several letters. Katara nodded off in the heat of the late afternoon, but Azula awoke her when it was time to return to their apartment.

"How in the world did you ever want to do that every day?" Katara asked her.

"It's for my nation. Quite dull right now, but it's necessary." Azula wrapped an arm around Katara's waist. "It was nice to share my day with you, however boring you may have found it. The little interlude was amusing too."

"I suppose I can do it again. Not the carriage part. What got into you?"

"Hormones," Azula responded dryly. Her expression sharpened. "Is this all a little less frightening now?"

She'd been transparent the whole time. Katara nodded in confirmation and realized it was the truth with a rush of sharp relief. "I didn't realize how much help you have, or that everything is discussed to death." She probably still wouldn't be able to fill in for Azula, but someone else could, whether it be Zuko or one of the aids of the Fire Lords. Her worries had lifted during that long, boring day. She brushed her hand over Azula's and leaned closer, which upset their pace for a few steps. She could be Azula's wife, even if it came attached to the title 'Fire Lady'. No big deal. Not anymore.

"Mai and Mother have been talking about including you in their little education bid."

"The public education thing?"

"Yes. Every year is a struggle to allocate appropriate resources for the public schools, especially since the war ended. They sit on a council regularly to consider what should be on the public school curriculum. Thankfully my only requirement is writing a few letters."

"I guess I never thought that would be up for debate." Maybe she _could_ help with that, even if nothing came of it.

"Well, now you know. Don't be surprised if Mom starts nagging you about it."

"With your mother, nothing ever surprises me." No doubt Ursa would need to find something to badger her about after the wedding was over.

Azula laughed. "Do you need my help with anything else involving the wedding?"

"I think everything's done that can be done. Invitations went out the day after we worked on them. I've already sampled the food, we know how we're setting up the temple grounds, and we've already printed all the little cards for guests. The robes are ready. I'm still working on the vow though."

"You'll be fine, darling."

"What does it mean?"

Azula turned towards her in surprise. "No one's told you?"

"No."

"We can use the common tongue if you—"

"No." As if Katara would open herself up to that criticism, given how much she was frowned upon as a foreigner already. She would damn well say those vows in a language so ancient only Azula and a few scholars and sages knew it so that no one could accuse of her refusing to learn her wife's culture.

"Then say what you can remember."

Katara considered and carefully enunciated the first verse.

"I will stand at your back to protect your blind side from your enemies."

"Really?" She shook her head and continued.

"I will take a blow meant for you, absorb heat and burn in one for you."

Katara continued, stumbling over one part.

" _Zun lo la li-_ ko. I will be your flint and your flame. Where you go, I go. What you command, I obey."

Katara continued with the last verse.

"My life is your life."

"Not romantic in the least," Katara pointed out, glad her pronunciation passed muster except for one part. She wasn't so sure about the 'what you command, I obey' line.

"I say those words to you, too."

In that case, the command/obey line could stay. "Is that uncommon?"

"A few Fire Lords chose to repeat those words, but many did not."

Of course most of them didn't, sexist pigs. They continued their walk, and Katara had an odd thought. "Azula?"

"Hm?"

"What is the husband of a Fire Lord called?"

"A Lord," Azula replied. "Honored Husband if someone wanted to distinguish that he was married to the Fire Lord."

"Have there been any male Fire Lords married to men?"

"Fire Lord Guam. A few others whose names I can't remember."

"You can't remember?" Katara teased. At least the Fire Nation was more progressive than the Northern Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom. They had that going for them in the wake of their horrible war.

"This baby is eating my brain. I forgot the year of the Serpent Monsoon disaster yesterday."

"Oh, however will you survive?" Katara muttered sarcastically.

"More sex," Azula responded calmly. "Your father and Mina will be arriving next week, yes?"

"Yes. Everyone else will be coming in two to three weeks."

"The palace will be bustling." She glanced at Katara again. "Definitely more sex before then."

"You're incorrigible."

* * *

When Kota announced Aang was calling on her a week later, Katara was surprised to hear it. She hadn't known he was in town. She felt a little lift of anticipation and realized just by that emotion that she had, in fact, forgiven him for the entire mess in the South Pole. That shift of anticipation remained steadfast when she saw him for the first time in a few months. She'd missed her friend for a long time, and she had an emotional burst to see him again.

His beard was well-groomed, and there wasn't a hair on his head. He was tall, strong, and so welcome. His gray eyes were light with his shy, rueful smile. Katara saw her best friend, not her jealous ex-boyfriend.

"Hi," Aang said quietly.

He was welcome. Katara opened her arms, and he teared up as he stepped into her arms, hugging her not as an expectant lover but a friend. He was warm and solid and comforting, and she felt safety in their embrace, something she'd not felt in a long time. He smelled good, like sandalwood and incense; that scent was safety.

"I'm so sorry," he said.

"I forgive you." Katara pushed his shoulders back, wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry too. I wasn't fair to you."

Aang was earnest in his words, nearly stumbling over them as he tried to get them out. "I only ever wanted you to be happy, and I was wrong about Azula. I was blind, and I'm sorry. I support you both—together." He squeezed her arms and his gray eyes sharpened in earnestness. "Is she pregnant?"

Katara laughed abruptly, turning her head to see if any of Azula's staff were in ear-shot. She didn't see anyone, but that didn't guarantee the information wasn't heard. With her conversations with Azula—and how she became pregnant in the first place—surely the staff knew. "Sokka can't keep a secret! Yes, she is, but no one else knows. Aside from Suki, who's working out her own issues."

Aang grinned boyishly. "Congratulations."

"I can't wait," she said, finally expressing the excitement that had taken root in her. A little boy or girl that they created together, another little family member, another piece of their future.

"When will she be due?"

"Half a year, if my timing is right. We'll see. She'll probably want to be back in the Fire Nation." Katara corrected herself. "I'll want to be back too for the physicians here and for not having to make the trip with a newborn." Babies and seasickness didn't mix well.

"Then you're making a trip south again?"

They'd parted and stood a half a meter away from each other, carrying on their conversation in the middle of the sitting room. Katara hadn't considered offering Aang a seat until that moment, and they both shuffled over to share the couch. Katara said, "About a month after the marriage. You're welcome in the South, Aang. Last time was… Well, no one holds that against you. I don't, not anymore."

He scratched one ear, looking sheepish. "I'm still really embarrassed about it all… But I know. You know you can always ask me for help, even if we're fighting."

"Point taken. And for the record, I know Azula wasn't exactly blameless in that whole mess." She squeezed his arm, but he had no comment to offer to the out she'd given him. They sat together in awkward silence for a moment before she asked him, "Can you help me plan out something, Aang?"

He looked at her with interest.

"I'm going to open a waterbending school here in the capital. I have a place that's been recommended. Do you mind going with me to check it out?"

Aang nodded eagerly. "Anything you need."

Finding the location for her future school had kept Katara busy the last few days. The rent in the city shocked her, but the place she liked was in the noble district near the palace in a prime location. Miza serendipitously knew something about opening a business in the city, and she instructed Katara to seek out the city council to get a permit to open a business at the residence prior to agreeing to rent.

"Opening a business the noble district is expensive," Katara had told Azula the day before, thinking about the fees for permits and rent. That didn't include paying any assistants or business managers.

"Sit down with Li to figure what you can afford, as I'm assuming you're too proud to ask for money."

"I guess you could invest in my little school." Katara was warmer to the idea than she thought she'd be. As much as she wanted to pay for everything with her own funds, it would be impossible. She didn't want to waste what funds she could send home, and if the school managed to break even, she figured she'd be doing well.

Azula laughed. "My money is your money, darling. If you want to call it investment, it'll be an investment in your happiness."

"How are you so romantic?"

"Romantic?" Azula asked, perplexed.

Katara nearly took a carriage to the house, but Aang took off on foot, and she followed along. He glanced back with wide eyes to see a few Dai Li agents shadowing them. They had gone back to their earthen gloves and wide-brimmed hats.

"Azula insists. At this point, it's stupid to protest."

Aang said, "It takes me back to Ba Sing Se."

"You're telling me. Azula called brainwashing 'tomfoolery' once so I think we're safe."

"What does tomfoolery mean?"

"Stupid. Which took her five minutes to explain."

The house was a half-mile walk from the palace, situated on the western side of the volcano city. It was a cooler morning, thankfully. It was nice to stretch her legs. The house got ample morning sunlight and darkened early in the evening. Katara let herself in with the keys she'd been given by Miza before they left.

The little house had an open courtyard, something Aang grinned to see. "Lessons and sparring here, I guess."

"It'll get muddy." Katara stomped her foot on the dusty earth. "Maybe if there's enough interest I'll put in tile."

"Maybe water-treated wood would be better. Tile can get slippery."

"True." Katara added that to her mental catalogue. It might be cheaper to have the Dai Li pack it down… Though that could be considered misallocating them. "Water pots along the perimeter, maybe." Aang followed her gesture and walked under the narrow shaded eaves of the courtyard. He nodded, turning his gaze into the center of the courtyard.

"It's a nice location. Seems cooler than out in the streets."

"It is. We get eastward sun on this side of the city." Katara pointed to the lower eaves on that side. "But by the mid-afternoon, everything's in shade." She led Aang into the house. There was one large room floored in polished wood. It was cool and dark in here. "Maybe we can do lessons in here. I was thinking of doing a little talking about form and history. Pakku used to talk circles around me before we actually did any water training."

Aang disappeared from view, but he came back. "I'm sorry for the way you lost him, Katara."

It was a soft sadness now. She nodded to acknowledge Aang's condolence. "There are some bedrooms back here."

Katara led Aang in to look at several empty rooms down the back hallway. They were decently sized, especially for a Southerner used to a traditional whale-bone hut or igloo. "Maybe I can rent out the few rooms in the back to students who traveled here and don't have a place to stay."

"Yeah, this is neat. Really great place."

"Would you want help out some days when you're here? You could offer another perspective."

Aang grinned in delight but reset his expression to bow formally. "Master Katara, I would be honored. You should get someone who can fill in for you regularly so it can continue even when you're out of town."

That struck a cord; she'd been worrying about one issue for the last few days. "I actually got a letter from Harraq. Do you remember him?"

"He went North for training, right?"

It was still a bitter wound. The boy had been her best student and could have led a whaling kayak by the next season—could have been a great asset to the South—but his parents sent him to the Northern Water Tribe for further training. His letters became less frequent, and within a year of him leaving—nearly seven years ago—it was clear he wasn't going to return home to Katara's tutelage.

"I got a letter from him a few days ago. He wants to move here and become a student." At first Katara wanted to burn the letter, but as Azula had implied several times, she was hard-headed. This was a good chance to reconnect with her old pupil, make use of him, and potentially send him back home.

"And?" Aang said delicately.

"I think he could be that assistant. He's a good waterbender, the best student I've had in a long time."

"There you go. Assistant found."

Katara nodded, firming in her decision. "I need an accountant too."

"What about one of your staff?"

Katara thought of Azula's crazy finances and laughed. "They have their hands full with Azula's money; trust me on that."

"Will she pay for this?"

"If she does, she'll call it her investment in my happiness." Katara smiled as she traced a finger over the grinning dragon carved into one column.

"I'm sorry," Aang said quietly. "She loves you, and I was an idiot not to see that."

Katara leaned against the column and looked over her shoulder. "Don't be sorry, Aang. I didn't see it for a long time either. I said she was like Ozai last month. I seem to be hurting her more than she hurts me. We've been doing this together for so long, and the thought of marrying her here still scares me a little. Me as Fire Lady? And two children? What were we thinking?"

"Can I hug you?"

Katara laughed at his hesitation and stepped into his arms, swallowing back her tears and taking deep breaths. "Sorry. I've been a little stressed out recently."

"Why? What do you have to do?"

"Azula claims just occasionally wear a bigger hairpiece. It's not that bad. I think I'll feel better once the wedding is over and done with."

"That would definitely do it. I can't imagine your headache." Aang tapped her current hairpiece, teasing her. He sobered and squeezed her shoulders. "So open a waterbending school and be a midwife and raise your kids together. Wear a bigger hairpieces sometimes. Not so hard, right?"

She relaxed further. "You're right. There's just some people here who think I don't belong, that Ana doesn't belong. They may say that about our next child too."

"Does their opinion really matter? You're happy, right? Progress takes time, and you're going to have to be brave until that progress rolls around."

She looked at him and saw that old loss. Aang was alone, the last. What did she have to complain about in being the first? Aang released her shoulders and they stepped away from each other, even as Katara squeezed his wrist in thanks. She'd needed that reality check. Katara was struck with quiet curiosity. "How about you? What's the status of your love life?"

Aang cleared his throat and shrugged.

"You don't have someone?"

"I do. It's just… Not a long-term partner, you know?" He seemed uncomfortable to admit it.

That was gender neutral. "Maybe you should ask them. I decided the same thing about Azula, and look where we are."

He wouldn't meet her eyes. "Trust me, Katara. She's not looking to raise a family. Maybe that's not in the cards for me: kids, marriage."

Her unspoken question had been answered; it was a woman. Katara had no idea who it might be. "Isn't that what you want?"

"I'm happy," he said, but his smile wasn't his usual grin. "Can we change the topic? This is really awkward."

It hadn't seemed that awkward to her, but she let it go.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Aang stayed for dinner with Azula, Gran Gran, and Ana. Azula was using a new tactic to persuade Ana to eat: a scoop of roe on a hard crust of bread delivered after eating a portion of her meal. It worked. "Positive reinforcement. Just like training a mongoose dragon," Azula said triumphantly.

"Could you not call our daughter a mongoose dragon? Also, I don't see a whip."

"It was a simile." Azula turned away from Katara snootily to address Aang. She indicated the roe. "Can you eat this?"

He nodded. "Eggs are a yes for me. Ana, can I have a bite?"

Ana smiled. "Sure!"

Azula sneered and offered Aang a roe cracker like she had Ana. He grinned back at her and ate it from her hand. Katara wasn't sure she'd ever seen such a disgusted look grace Azula's haughty face. "You asked for it," Katara quipped.

Azula delicately wiped her fingertips on her napkin. "I suppose I did. That disgusting display of intimacy counts as the hug you always seem to want."

Aang gasped in mock horror. "Oh, come on. Didn't you enjoy our hug last time? Hugs make everyone happy."

"Hugs do not make _me_ happy."

"You hug me!" Ana retorted.

"You're the exception, my dear." Azula gave Ana another cracker.

"I would like some roe," Gran Gran stated dryly. "You don't have to hand feed me."

Azula scooped more roe onto a plate and placed several crackers alongside. Ana pouted for a moment seeing her treat given away, but she turned away when she caught Katara's sharp look of warning.

Aang seemed oblivious to that exchange as he asked, "So, you're going back South soon?"

"After a little stay on Ember Island," Azula responded. She glanced at Katara. "I may have to come South a little later. There are a few international trade sessions planned for the following fortnight."

Ana was perplexed. "Why are you sleeping in a fort?"

Gran Gran laughed into her tea, and Aang grinned as he caught the confusion.

"'Fortnight' a fancy way to say 'two weeks'," Katara explained. As she'd been doing for the last few weeks, she prompted: "Momma just has fancy words."

Azula cocked her head, as always, seeming a little off-put by the title. "I have an extensive vocabulary. The words are no more fancy than any other." She turned back to Katara. "I should be on a boat within two weeks of you leaving."

"See that you are." Katara kept her warning mild. "Dad and Mina are coming in tomorrow."

"Yes. There's a play tomorrow afternoon. I think they'd enjoy it. The whole family is going."

Katara wished she'd had a little more forewarning about that. If the whole family was going, she supposed she could drag her father and Mina out too. Hakoda would be the hard one to convince. Maybe Gran Gran could order him out.

* * *

As she watched her friends step off of the ship, Katara was acutely self-conscious about her clothing and her topknot. She felt over-dressed with her lady hairpin and fine violet tunic, even if they were among her casual garb. She hadn't thought anything when putting them on this morning, nor of the stain applied to her eyelashes. She'd done that only because Azula had made a comment about liking it. All in all, her clothes were plain compared to most of her peers here.

Hakoda's step paused on the dock, and Mina's eyes went wide behind him. Katara ignored their surprise and engulfed her father in a hug. She was thankful for every meeting, no matter how many they had. She pulled Mina close too. They smelled like leather, smoky and clean, like home. "I'm so glad you could come."

"You look like a princess," Mina said with her eyebrows raised. "Can I borrow some of those fine clothes?"

"Of course." It wasn't like Katara didn't have an excess. Mina would probably die from the heat and humidity if she didn't get something cooler than her wool and leather. Katara should have thought to send them something for the trip.

Mina paused again to marvel at the ostrich horse drawn carriage and Dai Li agents that waited for them. It really did seem too much, even if it was required. Azula demanded both. Azula had too much to worry about to add Katara's safety on her list so Katara just considered them all convenient now. Today they were transported by a favorite ostrich horse of the flock, Mr. Feathers—so named by little Princess Rina.

She requested, "The palace, please, Icho."

"Of course, Lady Katara." Their driver nodded his head in acceptable informal bows to Hakoda and Mina.

They climbed into the carriage were on their way through the streets after a moment. Katara left the curtains open for Mina and her father to better see the city as they climbed through the streets. The view was beautiful as they crested the great rim of the volcano that held Capital City: lines of streets, arranged in an orderly fashion near the palace, turning haphazard the closer they got to the perimeter of the city. The noble district shone gold and silver in the sunlight from their fancy shingles, and movement of pedestrians, palanquins, and carriages on the streets were notable even from this distance. It was a quieter time of day in the early afternoon. Despite the general coolness of the day, afternoon laziness to avoid the heat was ingrained in this people.

"How is everything at home?" Katara thought to ask, drawing Hakoda and Mina from their silent observation.

"Good," Hakoda replied. "We've started making final preparations for winter."

"Verrack and Hama?"

"Hard workers. They're doing well… Apparently trying to have their own child. Do you know, they're taxed per child in the north?" Mina was distracted from that conversation as she looked through the soft curtains. "So many buildings. So many people," Mina said. "Do they all obey you?"

"Most of them wouldn't, probably," Katara said with a laugh. "A lot of them probably don't know who I am, anyway, and I've never had to order anyone around for no reason. Azula's the only person I order around actually."

"Where is your wife?" Hakoda asked pointedly.

"Azula had a meeting she couldn't get out of."

"About what?" Hakoda asked gruffly. Katara tried to stem her defensiveness at her father's tone.

"I think an ambassador had a heart attack." Katara gave a half-shrug, trying to imply sarcasm. At least she thought Azula hadn't been serious when she'd said it that morning. Even after all these years, she couldn't discern facetiousness from fact sometimes.

"Where is Ana?"

"Lessons. There's a theater thing this afternoon we're supposed to go to."

"Supposed to?"

"It's a function for Azula and Zuko, and the entire family's been invited. I thought you might like to see Fire Nation theater."

Mina smiled at the thought, but Hakoda did not.

The entire way from the carriage to her apartments in the palace, Katara saw her surroundings with new eyes. What she considered home was expensive, splendor, fine, and beautiful. The greens of the palace grounds, the great walls, and the huge building itself was greater now than she'd realized. They passed through the long line of tapestries of Fire Lords in the palace, and Mina paused to stare up at each of them.

"Who are they?" she asked in a hushed tone of voice.

"You'll have to ask Azula. She's probably the only person around who can tell you in detail about each Fire Lord." Katara wondered if she'd take Mina down to the archives to gawk at all the big stupid books that no one could touch for fear of destroying them. What was the point in that? Azula only rolled her eyes when Katara presented the practicality—or lack thereof—of books that couldn't be read.

Hakoda grunted as they stopped in front of Azula's great tapestry. Katara took it in again, remembering her first sight of it and her reaction: gut clenching pride and fear all in one. She'd know in that moment she wouldn't be returning home ever again. Funny how Azula rendered that fear moot.

Objectively, the tapestry was beautiful: fluid lines of blue and silver in both Azula's surroundings and her fire. Her jaw was a bit wider than in life, and those red lips were almost severe in how they were held, not like her normal haughty purse. Azula's eyes were the brightest bit on the tapestry, and the golden color was true to life. It hardly seemed real to see her wife as this powerful symbol of the Fire Nation—and to realize its boring reality of endless meetings.

Glory was what Azula had wanted for her fulfillment in life, and she certain managed that. Even if she weren't Fire Lord, her part in the Hundred Year War and her dragon would put her name down in every historical text about the Fire Nation. That thought alone was enough to make Katara blink back tears when she looked at the tapestry again.

"It's beautiful," Mina murmured. "She's very grand, isn't she?"

Hakoda's eyes flickered over it for a long moment. "She's standing on water."

Katara looked back, for the first time seeing his interpretation: that Azula was greater. "She's rooted in it, Dad. She's also wearing a betrothal necklace, the one that I gave her."

He took a deep breath through his nose and nodded, taking one last look. Mina glanced between them. "I think it's beautiful. Maybe not quite to scale."

"Did you see the size of the eyebrows on that Fire Lord six tapestries back? They tend to exaggerate certain characteristics." Katara and Mina giggled about that and vowed to come back and name the Fire Lords for themselves and compare notes with Azula later. Fire Lord Eyebrows was already named. Katara decided one of the oldest ones would be Fire Lord Biceps.

When they stepped into her apartments, Gran Gran was waiting to greet her son and Mina with hugs. Kota and Li were also immediately within reach. They were skilled at being around when needed but not being a bother so even Hakoda didn't mind their presence. As they sat on the airy living room, Kota provided iced drinks and fruit for everyone. It was a quaint gesture, definitely not enough for a fine noble lady hosting family and friends, but to her friends and family, it probably seemed too much.

It didn't help that Ursa came in all her silken finery and hairpiece. She walked in with Ana holding her hand, returning her from lessons, as planned. "Hello," she said with a surprisingly friendly smile. "How lovely to see you both again. I hope you enjoy your visit."

"I'm sure I will," Mina replied, looking at her iced fruit juice in wonder. Ana laughed in delight to see her auntie and grandfather, and the next few minutes were made up of that happy reunion.

Kota quietly reminded Katara about their plans that afternoon. Over the next half an hour, Mina and Katara changed. Katara managed to change Ana too, despite Ana putting up a fuss about redoing her hair. Gran Gran demurred and Hakoda refused, not that it mattered that much. As they were ushered into the hallway by servants, Katara asked, "Where is Azula?"

"Running late, Lady Katara," Kota supplied. "No doubt she'll meet you all at the theater."

She didn't think much of the vague answer from a very succinct person until later.

Azula wasn't there when they arrived, and every passing minute increased Katara's irritation. She couldn't believe Azula still hadn't shown up. She knew Hakoda and Mina were coming today, and she'd asked them to attend this play.

The fact Zuko was also gone kept her from becoming truly angry. Whatever delayed them was legitimate enough to require both of them, which meant Zuko was braving Mai's certain irritation. Mai, for her part, was tapping one long fingernail on the table in front of her, her gaze on the stage.

It was a circular stage, surrounded on all sides by the crowd. And crowded it was. The royal party had a special platform taking up a slice of the circular audience, but hundreds of people were here. Tell the Fire Nation nobles a show would be put on only once, and everyone wanted to come. Hopefully it wouldn't be a horrible Ember Island Player rendition of a play. Katara had a chill as she considered Azula doing something asinine like insisting on putting on _The_ _Boy in the Iceberg_ again.

Mina asked, "What is this about?" just as Katara had the thought.

The lights went down, and the audience hushed, with the exception of Rina, who asked loudly: "Night-night?"

Which meant most of the adults at their table were trying very hard not to laugh when the stage lit up to display two figures in black clothing with malevolent demon masks. Katara leaned forward to get a better look. Too bad Zuko was missing what was clearly a tribute to him: one mask was red, another blue, and they both looked like the blue spirit mask he'd used to free Aang so many years ago.

The two actors began to fight each other in pretty, flamboyant movements and soft bursts of orange firebending, though they managed to fling each other away. Each feigned exchange resulted in one of both figures losing a scrap of clothing. Katara wondered if she was the only one who thought this was a little erotic, especially when it was revealed the red-masked figure was a woman and the blue-masked a bare-chested man.

Katara leaned forward. Was that…?

The actors were fighting with less vigor; it was almost a sparring-dance until they were blending movements and performing flashy katas and gentle bursts of orange fire in unison.

A third actor entered the stage. He was the antagonist based upon his introductory music. He drew the attacks of the two spirits in an artistic display. He bent water, something that drew a grunt of displeasure from Hakoda. Katara turned back to the stage when the audience gasped. Katara realized what she'd missed: the third actor's arms were no longer covered, and the tattoos that ran down them were visible. Aang, which was less of a surprise than it should have been for Katara.

The three battled, with Aang's character bending every element except fire, until he was thrown to the stage in obvious submission (or death) by the spirits in an impressive dual attack. Aang slowly got to his feet as the other two performed katas around his body, and he began to bend fire with them. Their last firebending kata was in unison and what Katara imagined Azula would call tastelessly flamboyant.

The three actors staged their bows, turning in each direction before facing the royal seat. Aang stripped off his mask to applause as the two other actors motioned to him. Then he stepped back, and the two spirits came forward. They pulled off their masks, and Katara laughed as the entire audience exploded into a sound of shock, only to further explode as everyone got to their feet to roar.

Azula and Zuko lowered their heads in small bows and stepped off the stage.

This was sure to boost their popularity; Katara didn't see how this couldn't. They walked up the audience to where the royal party sat. Azula's face had pulled into a triumphant grin that she rarely made, and she handed her red spirit mask to Ana, who bounced in pleasure as she turned it over in her hands. Azula took Katara's hand and kissed it, obviously beyond pleased with herself.

The applause continued without any signs of letting off. Azula, Zuko, and Aang walked back up on stage and… Yes, they did the dragon dance kata.

Later, when they were on their way home in a carriage, Katara accused her: "You are so full of yourself."

"I'd rather be full of myself than…" Azula glanced at Ana, who was looking out of the curtain. "…than full of dung."

"Dung," Katara repeated, putting a hand against her face to choke down her laughter. The only other word Azula could have used that was more Azula was 'feces'. "You dork!"

"What's that?" Ana wanted to know.

"Large animal waste." Azula sent Katara a sharp look that prevented Katara from defining 'dork'. Though she would probably say dork meant Azula, the Adorable and Awkward. Azula probably could cite its "origin in vernacular one hundred and sixty seven (or something) years ago as an off-shoot of a slang term for male genitalia" or something like that. Katara would just say someone used it in place of dick a long time ago, and its meaning branched into an awkward fool since then.

Ana blinked in incomprehension.

"Poop," Katara clarified.

Ana replied with a predictable 'ew' and giggle. She made a farting sound probably learned from Katara's male relatives and said, "Dork!" To that Azula said, "No." Ana pulled a face but stopped. How did that word work from her? Azula wiped her face with a cool wet cloth and wrapped it around her neck. "Is it true they use that to heat fires in the North?"

"Maybe on the tundra, with the really dried out bits." Katara tried to imagine any of the uppity tribal leaders of the North deigning to light their fires with camel crap and couldn't. "Are you hot?"

"I'm fine." Azula leaned her head back on the carriage cushion. After a moment, she admitted, "I'm tired."

"You should be. How hard was that to bend orange fire again?"

"Very difficult. I've always had trouble controlling cooler fires."

An admission of a fault with firebending? Katara couldn't censor her surprise. "You?"

"Yes, me." Azula had probably meant it in a sneering way, but she was apparently too tired to take on that tone of voice. "Before I started using blue fire, I had very little control. I always produced too much, and it would get away from me."

How interesting.

Ana abruptly shuffled over to settle against Azula's side. Azula smiled down at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. When they arrived at the palace, Azula put Ana on her shoulders. They waited for the other three carriages to arrive, spilling out family and friend, and they walked upstairs together.

That move wasn't missed by Hakoda, who had been watching Azula like a hawk all afternoon. And here Katara thought they'd already worked through their issues.

"That was fun to watch," Mina supplied when everyone was seated comfortably on the balcony over Mai's garden. "I didn't know you could put on firebending performances."

Azula responded, "Most actors don't bend fire on stage. It's rather dangerous in a wooden theater—and burns can be quite serious. But sometimes the performance calls for it."

"How have you found the time to practice?" Katara asked.

"Early mornings, though dragging Zuzu out of bed can be a pain. I refuse to let him destroy our good reputation by continuing to be lazy about his bending. At least Aang was on time to practice."

"Thanks," Aang said brightly.

Zuko rolled his eyes and took a long drink of his wine. He had two children in his lap, and Mai held his free hand in her own. It was an interesting picture with Ana perched in Azula's lap too. Katara could only imagine Ursa's pleasure at seeing her children being so domestic.

"I suppose I should congratulate you, Fire Lord." Hakoda's tone bordered on snide.

Azula shrugged; Katara felt a rush of gratefulness and love that she ignored Hakoda's tone. "Working in tandem with my brother for the rest of my life… I'm not sure it's much to congratulate."

"The rest of your life?" Katara asked sharply. "You're retiring way before that."

"Retiring?" Azula seemed honestly surprised. Then she laughed. "I suppose stranger things have happened."

Hakoda sighed. "What exactly will Katara have to do to be a Fire Lady?"

"Nothing different than she's already doing. Except occasionally wear a bigger hairpiece."

"Great," Katara muttered in faux irritation. She plucked out her lady pin now and tossed it on a table nearby.

"Well," Ursa sniffed. "We certainly hope for her input in the public education matters of the Fire Nation."

That raised a flutter of nervousness in Katara's belly, though Azula raised an eyebrow and quietly said, "Only if you want to give input."

"Do you say vows at this ceremony?" Mina ventured.

"Oh, yes. In the old tongue, of course," Ursa responded. "It's a rite of passage for Fire Nation noblewomen marrying into the royal family."

"So many zu's and za's and ra's and la's. I'm still working it out," Katara said. She started reciting the beginning passage statement and laughed when she stumbled.

"What do the vows mean?" Hakoda asked.

Azula repeated the translated vows for Hakoda, and this time around, Katara _could_ see the romance in those words though those vows would fit in well in a Fire Nation drama. She said, "What could be more romantic than protecting the one you love?"

It was a quiet evening to cap off the surprising afternoon. A contrast to her pleasure after the performance, Azula was mellow as they went back to their apartment. She retired to the bedroom after Ana went to bed, but Katara stayed on the balcony to chat with her family until they were all yawning.

Azula was still awake when Katara snuggled under the covers with her.

"I'm surprised about the performance. It just doesn't seem your style."

"It isn't at all," Azula admitted. She pulled Katara closer. "Zuko and I have a new advisor. Instead of powerful warrior dictators that people trust to lead a battle, we must be young, charismatic friendly rulers that care about our people. And apparently a thing like that—the finer arts and ridiculously flamboyant displays—will earn more loyalty than an Agni Kai."

"Does that hurt you?"

Azula's expression opened in surprise. She set her book down and looked like she was giving the question a lot of thought. "It's…trivial. The triviality hurts. And a part of me is disappointed with myself for enjoying that stupid triviality. Then again, it's harmless. It's not hanging a man or torching a kingdom. So why should I fear that change?"

"Do you?"

"I suppose I do. These times are so much different than I grew up in—when the ways that I was taught were the only true ways."

"Fear of the future," Katara responded, kissing Azula on the cheek. "I get it."

Azula looked her in the eye for a few moments. "I guess you do. We'll just have to muddle through it together then."

"You need sleep." Katara stripped Azula of her book and used a flick of waterbending to snuff the candle by the bedside. Azula lay down without protest, a testament to how tired she really was. She was asleep only a few minutes later.

* * *

The next day was a quiet one, despite Katara's original plan to take Hakoda and Mina out to see various sights around the city. Instead, they sat in the shade and drank iced water, spending their time talking.

When evening rolled around, they did all go out for dinner at one of the favorite restaurants that the royal family frequented. Azula met them there, much to Ana's delight, and it was a happy night.

After going to bed, Katara found she was tired despite sitting for most of the day. She'd been lax about her waterbending exercises and vowed to do a better job on that. It was too easy to say "after the wedding", but that was where everything sat now.

Katara kissed along the slight swell of Azula's belly. She was beginning to show now, though in her robes she only looked as though she'd gained some weight. Surely there were rumors floating around now though, given how stringent Azula was about her body. Especially after the play required Azula be in less clothing than her usual. Katara nuzzled Azula's skin, causing her to jerk. "Still ticklish?"

"I'm not ticklish," Azula replied mulishly.

Katara closed her eyes and imagined for just a moment what it would be like to carry a child. A part of her wanted it very much. Another part of her understood how much more practical it was for Azula to carry their children. There would never be a question about the legitimacy of their heirs; Ana's adoption carried a difficult enough situation. And for Katara to carry a child of Azula's blood, Zuko would have to be involved, presenting another impossibility. No, this was better. Seeing Azula like this squashed any regrets Katara might have. Her wife, round with child…

She would have considered her own thoughts a trifle sexist before. Not now. Something about the change that came over a content pregnant woman made her shiver with pleasure. Maybe because the woman was Azula, and the contrasting softness this gave her…

"I love you."

Azula's fingers pressed into her hair and began to massage her scalp. "Oh," Katara murmured, relaxing at that wonderful sensation. "And you obviously love me to do that."

"I never realized how erotic it could be to massage a lover. Or be massaged by one."

It was a little pathetic how long that thought took to click in Azula's head. The first time Katara had asked Azula if she wanted a massage, Azula had looked at her considering and then called Kota into the room. And then Katara was too mortified with both herself and her girlfriend to correct Azula's misconception.

"That's what happens when you…" Katara sighed, relaxing bonelessly as Azula's fingers gently kneaded her scalp. "When you have servants massage you every day."

She felt herself fading into a wonderful, relaxed place, but Azula's voice brought her out of the brink of sleep. "Though apparently the scalp is not an erogenous zone."

"I'm sorry; it's so relaxing."

"Would you like to go to sleep?"

"Mm, no. Just… You'll have to stop." Katara opened her eyes. Azula's look was a mixture of exasperation, affection, and desire.

"I'm trying to decide how I want you."

"You want to be in charge tonight?"

"I'm always in charge," Azula said for one moment before her lips began to twitch.

"You unabashed liar!"

"Your unabashed liar," Azula replied snootily. Katara took the cue, kissed her, tugged her robes opened, and rolled her over. Azula went without protest. Liar, indeed.

* * *

The next day, Katara went to private waterbending lessons with the Northern Water Tribe Ambassador's children. Konak was not a disciplinarian, and he didn't get on his kids to practice waterbending regularly. They were talented but they didn't put much effort into it, resulting in mediocre waterbenders that occasionally had a stroke of brilliance. They were the most frustrating type of student possible.

Hakoda and Aang came with her. Hakoda wanted a word with Konak and his wife, and Aang wanted to help out with lessons. Ana came along too; Azula was going to pick her up on her way back from a meeting. That was the plan at least.

Katara watched with mild irritation as the forms she'd gotten both children significantly closer to appropriate technique last visit were wrong once again.

They picked it up faster this time, at least. She and Aang had both of them sweating and grumpy within half an hour. Konak and his wife nodded their thanks to Katara but loitered in the late morning heat. After his quiet exchange with Konak, Hakoda walked away from them and settled in the shade, taking Ana into his lap and bouncing her.

"Master Katara, if I may."

"Yes, Konak?"

He cleared his throat. "I trust you'll keep my children in mind when you fill spots in your new waterbending program."

She raised her eyebrows. "Sure. I doubt it'll fill up."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he responded. "I'm more than willing to pay a startup fee to secure their places."

"I don't think that will be necessary, but yes, I'll put them on the list."

Azula swept in, looking hot and miserable despite her general haughty authority. From across the courtyard, Ana yelled, "Momma!" She pushed off of Hakoda's lap and ran to Azula, wrapping her legs with a hug.

Azula's eyes cut from Katara's back to Ana. She gently pushed Ana away and strode past all of them into the cool of the offices. Katara was shocked to see tears shimmering in her eyes. Poor Ana stood in the sun, looking uncertain of how to feel. Then Azula rushed back into the courtyard, picked up Ana, and left without a word.

"Was she cryin—"

Konak cut off his wife with a very loud throat-clearing grunt.

She _had_ been crying. What in the world had gone on in Azula's mind at that time? Katara was happy for her and probably would be on the verge of tears herself if she could wrap her brain around Azula's reaction.

"Ana called her 'Momma'," Aang said with a smile on the carriage ride back.

"I've been trying to prompt her, and I bet Ursa has been. Ursa's already 'Grandmomma' and Iroh is 'Granddaddy'." Katara shook her head. Certainly Azula had been overwhelmed by her emotional response, but… She'd told Katara once that Ana didn't have to call her 'Momma', but she never seemed upset about Ana being prompted to call her that.

Back at the palace, Azula was in full informal mode with her hair pulled back into a loose wolftail, barefoot, and without makeup. She sat reading as Ana puttered around the room, scattering her toys and giggling at her own game. Azula looked up, met Katara's eyes, and promptly her eyes filled with tears. She put down her book and escaped into the bedroom.

"Okay," Aang said lightly. "I'll just grab some juice and go outside to talk to the dragon."

"Safest place in this apartment," Hakoda muttered in agreement.

"Hey." Katara followed Azula into the bedroom and tried to tug her into a hug. "What's wrong?"

Azula was reluctant to enter the embrace. Her voice was thick with emotion. "Nothing's wrong. I'm so damned emotional and… This baby is eating my brain!"

Katara tugged Azula's head to her shoulder. Azula continued, "I didn't expect it to mean that much. I didn't know it could be so… She steals my makeup, constantly hounds me for attention, breaks my things, and I love her so much. How did that happen?"

"She was a little over a year old when I realized I couldn't let her go. She started walking, learned how to hug, and yelled 'Mama' every time she saw me. It's just a part of having kids." Katara cupped her cheek. "What happened at the ambassador's place?"

Azula blinked back tears again and laughed. "I must have looked insane. I didn't want anyone to see me cry so I walked away, but I knew it would hurt her. So I walked back." She swallowed once. "I have to start calling him Father. I have to try."

Iroh would cry too.

Katara pulled her close for a gentle kiss. Azula grunted, and Katara felt movement within her abdomen with her waterbending. She met Azula's eyes curiously. "Has that happened before?"

"Heartburn? Certainly more often now that my stomach is compressed by a parasite."

"The baby _moved_ , Azula."

Despite her emotional reaction just moments before, Azula looked at her own stomach like a platypus bear would burst out of it. She put her hand on her abdomen and frowned. "Oh. Really? It didn't feel like it."

"Well, I felt it."

"And everything else?"

"Everything's fine." Katara kissed her again.

"You only say that because you didn't burst into tears in front of peers. And now apparently standard heartburn is a baby kicking my bowel."

Katara had to take a moment to ponder at how Azula could make even the most wonderful things sound horrid. Classic Azula.


	7. Marriage and a play

Toph arrived the night before the wedding, just in time for the eve dinner and the drinking that would certainly occur therein. The children were all in bed thankfully because she announced her arrival with a belch to rival Sokka's worst. The only more Toph than that would be to fart, but the relative volume of her belch probably made it more attractive to her. Gross.

Katara couldn't help it: Toph was still the most annoying human being on the planet despite the fact she was a good woman. She smelled like sweat and the earth, and she raised a puff of dust as she collapsed in a seat between Azula and Aang. Katara wondered if she'd ridden a badger mole all the way here.

"Hey, Fire Bitch."

"Hello, Toph," Azula responded dryly; she was in a good mood that night. "How was your trip?"

"I hate ships. Fucking hate them. Hey, Madam Fussy Britches, you changed your mind about that threesome? I want in before you two get official married."

"We _are_ married!" Katara snapped, despite herself irritated by the question. She wasn't even going to let Azula get a reply in. Azula tended to humor Toph, which was an irritation all on its own. The fact Azula fantasized about sharing her was weird enough; adding Toph in was revolting.

"Then why the fuck are you doing it again tomorrow? Once seems like too many times as it is."

Azula rotated her wrist. "One day you'll understand, Toph, despite your general lack of maturity."

"I can't believe Fire Bitch Azula is telling me about emotional maturity." Toph punched Aang in the shoulder. He opened his mouth but didn't vocalize his pain. "Pass me the booze, Twinkletoes. I want some of that good fire whiskey."

Kota cleared her throat by Azula's shoulder. Katara couldn't imagine Kota would interrupt right now for a petty reason. "Forgive me Fire Lord." It was possible she enjoyed Azula's new title more than Azula did. "We just received word that Rakka ate Lord Gao's komodo rhino mount this afternoon."

Azula looked amused. She glanced up at her dragon on the eaves. "Was Gao on his mount at that time?"

"No, Fire Lord."

"What a pity." Of course Zuko laughed instead of discouraging Azula. "We'll reimburse him, of course. Send a letter stamped with an official seal."

"Was anyone hurt?" Katara was the only person here with human decency to ask the question apparently.

"No one was injured, though Gao's children did witness the consumption."

Azula heaved an irritated sigh. "And an invitation to our stables and gardens one afternoon for the children."

That was better. Ten years ago, Azula would have scoffed that the kids needed to get over the basic order of life or something like that. Azula leaned closer and said, "Ana had no issue with seeing a whale dismantled. What are we doing to our children?"

"Flensing an already dead animal is different than seeing Rakka pull a pet in half."

"Mounts aren't pets."

"Tell that to Rina."

Azula's mouth twisted in a pout that somehow was sexy; the expression meant she got Katara's point. "I need to be more strict about her hunting grounds. She'll enjoy freedom in the South."

After a few minutes of settling back into their previous conversation, Aang turned to Azula. "So, I have a question, Azula."

"When a man loves a woman—"

"Not about that," he responded good-naturedly. "From the war. Why did you lie to Ozai about Zuko killing me in Ba Sing Se? I've been trying to figure out one out for a while."

"It was quite simple."

"Nothing's ever simple with you," Katara muttered.

Azula ignored her. "Ozai accepted him back to the Fire Nation because of it. Had I brought Zuko as a prisoner—or without a grand display of loyalty after his turncoat in the North, he would have been cast aside at best."

"It was because you wanted me to take the fall if Ozai found out," Zuko pointed out. "You told me that."

"A bluff," Azula responded after she took a sip of fruit juice. "If you had told Ozai the truth, it could have gone either way for me. Ozai didn't like weakness, and he hated liars. The fact I showed you mercy, Zuko…" Azula took a tight breath as her expression darkened. No one had to guess what she was thinking of right then. "So I used it as blackmail to keep you silent about my lie. And if the Avatar resurfaced alive, I had a chance of making you take the fall."

"Did you expect me to survive?" Aang asked her.

"No human could live through that strong of a lightning bolt. But you were—rather you _are_ the Avatar, and I'd already learned not to underestimate a certain waterbender in your group. I hoped you were dead, assumed you were, but I wasn't surprised to find you were alive."

Katara laughed at that long-winded explanation. "Azula, that's not simple at all!"

"Really? It seems simple to me."

"It makes sense, I guess," Aang said dubiously.

"I'm way too drunk to understand that situation," Sokka admitted. He leaned over and poured Toph another finger of whiskey. "Let's drink every time Azula says a word we don't understand."

"Awesome!"

"Plebeians," Azula muttered.

Sokka and Toph drank. Katara looked at her friends, picked up her wine, and took a sip too. She was happy from being surrounded by her friends—without the animosity that had existed between Aang and Azula before. She was happy, and from the way Azula was smiling and spouting off random uncommon terms, she was happy too.

* * *

Katara supposed it was a usual practice to wake up next to your future spouse on their wedding day in the Fire Nation. That was why there were consorts, right? She'd almost expected something like the Earth Kingdom practice of a week's separation between future spouses though. Everyone would have been miserable if they did that. The thought faded as sleep blanketed her again. She was going to be Fire Lady in half a day. That snapped Katara fully awake; she wouldn't be falling back asleep after that terrifying though.

She shifted and turned her head. There was faint light coming through the filmy curtain on the balcony; still early. Early enough for Azula to still be asleep. She stirred and turned onto her side. Beyond the line of her body, Rakka shifted her coils. It was a dry sound on the tile of the balcony.

"Good morning."

Katara jolted in shock even as Azula reached out to her. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I thought you were asleep."

"Obviously."

Azula was muzzy from sleep, soft and gentle. She pulled Katara's mouth to hers, and their kiss was soft. Azula spoke again. "Good morning, Fire Lady."

"I'm not that yet."

"Close enough," Azula said.

She was so vulnerable this close to sleep, holding Katara and sighing as if to doze off again. Katara kissed her, and pressed her hand between Azula's leg's. The suggestion was enough.

After they'd made love, Azula held her close. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'm so glad we're doing this."

"Even if it means being Fire Lady?" Azula asked her.

"Even that."

"I'll try not to ask you that in a few hours."

Good enough, given how exhausting the bathing, make-up, and clothing aspect of the wedding was. Katara didn't feel it as worth it for her own clothing, but Azula was magnificent in her deep blue robe completed with sweeps of red fire and a blue dragon. She was beautiful and powerful in one. Azula looked at Katara as if she was having the same thoughts.

She didn't remember much from Zuko's ceremony other than how hot and long it had been. Everything was overshadowed by the mélange of dark emotion that took over after Azula's performance. Katara hadn't been able to believe the disconnect between the soft woman she loved and the triumphant anger that Azula had displayed, especially in her fierce acceptance of an Agni Kai challenge.

To think she had accepted and fought and won an Agni Kai without being able to firebend… Katara let it go. Azula had won, and handily at that. This was supposed to be a happy day.

She and Azula took an open-faced carriage together to the temple. There were people everywhere in the streets clamoring to cheer and shout. Katara plastered on a smile and waved, just as Azula did. Whenever Rakka flew by, the cheer escalated. It took forever, and Katara felt incredibly singular to be the center of so much attention. She didn't feel like herself, only a symbol of something she wasn't at all. Azula felt alien to her too, so formal with her flat affect in her Fire Lord hairpiece.

Finally, they were escorted into the relative quiet of the Fire Sage temple. The sounds of the crowd were still heavy, but Katara could finally think again. She took Azula's hand, and Azula gave her a familiar intimate smile. They were getting married to each other. There was an implication for Katara's role in the Fire Nation, but it simply boiled down to being spouses here. It would be just as they rehearsed; there was no reason to be afraid.

As Azula had demanded, a small circular stone creek swept beneath the walls of the temple and out into the public and back. Tiny paper boats were loaded into the creek for commoners to catch and keep as they swept by on the way outside the temple.

Seated in the mix were hundreds of nobles in ridiculously gaudy robes. It was apparently unprecedented that they were all seated, but Katara thought it was a kindness to get them off of their feet. The nobles, oddly, made her feel better. She recognized some faces, and there were people in that crowd that knew her—not of Fire Lady Katara, but Katara the Master Waterbender.

She and Azula walked arm in arm in a quiet procession, but Ana—dressed and primped like a true Fire Nation princess—waved from the dais happily. Azula lifted her hand and returned that little wave with a smile. Another internal breath of relief; she didn't have to be that person waving with a smile to the crowd in here. The temple steps were already full of their friends and family, and Katara shared a smile with her father and then with Aang, who smiled right back at her.

And then came the long monologue by the Fire Sage. He was the same man who had spoken at Zuko's wedding, but unlike the droning of last time, he sang his words today. It was a pretty intonation, one that raised Katara's eyebrows. Their planner has actually managed to obey Azula's command on that. Azula met her gaze and smiled in apparent amusement.

When it was time to speak, Katara took a long breath, and let her memory take over as she recited her words without falter. Azula was still smiling. She reached out to take Katara's hands and repeated it right back. The Fire Sage spoke. "In all our fealties: woman to woman, man to man, man to lord, lord to Fire Lord, we must realize that Fire Lord is a title bestowed by the old gods, but it may be taken away by mortals. Any such mortal here should declare himself now and stand to take such a claim away from this Fire Lord."

There were no takers this time around.

"Then I pronounce that Fire Lord Azula and Fire Lady Katara have taken each other as partners in life. Let it be known they stand together in marriage—for the betterment of themselves and the betterment of this nation."

It wasn't tradition, and Katara didn't know Azula would do it, but Azula pulled her close to kiss her. "Shall we?" she said quietly, motioning to the tables that edged the temple grounds. She swooped down and picked up Ana, and the three of them proceeded to the feast.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Azula asked her just after they sat at the head table a little while later.

"It's just…surreal. I'm Fire Lady."

"Yes, you are," Azula responded gently. "Eat something and don't drink too much. I'm sure our friends will entertain us with their toasts."

They nibbled for about an hour while everyone took their seats, and drinks and food were passed out to the attending nobles. In stations out in the city, the citizens were being fed too. When the sky began to darken and Ana and the other children were sent back to the palace, the first toast was called on.

In some ways, it was unprecedented that Hakoda spoke to this great crowd. Maybe before the Hundred Year War, a Water Tribe man did toast a Fire Lord, but surely the father of the bride was not that person. Hakoda, for his part, was unabashed as he looked back and forth between Azula and Katara.

"I never thought I'd be here, doing this, seeing my daughter become Fire Lady of the Fire Nation. But none of that really matters, not like knowing Katara is happy and has a loving wife. Good job, kids. It takes a lot of effort to find and make your true love work. Keep at it. It may not always be easy, but anything worth doing isn't."

Azula's hand found hers beneath the table, and they shared a tender look as Azula squeezed her grip gently.

Sokka stood up after a few moments. "I also never thought I'd see the day. I remember back during the war the both of you were trying to kill each other. Who knew you'd find a better outlet for all that passion?" He waggled his eyebrows as an uncomfortable laugh was taken up by the nobles, but his smile settled. "In all seriousness, I'm blessed to have the both of you as little sisters now. You should be prepared to house all your screaming nieces and nephews someday though. I'm giving you fair warning now."

"Sit down!" Katara told him with a laugh.

Aang was next, and he cleared his throat before taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders. Katara smiled at him gently, and he smiled back. "Congratulations on taking this step in your lives, both of you. You're both strong, proud women, and you both love fiercely—each other and your countries. The Fire Nation is lucky to have you at the helm, Fire Lord Azula, as luck as you both are to have each other. Have a long, happy marriage."

Ursa delicately wiped tears away as she stood up. "I'm so happy to be here, to see this, and to know you, my daughter. Despite the time I lost in your life and the stranger I returned to, I know you're my child in everything you say and do. All I want is your happiness, and as you told me once so long ago, Katara is part of that happiness, as she's part of our family. Welcome again, Fire Lady Katara. Love my daughter well, and Fire Lord Azula, love your wife just as well. And, please, give me lots of grandbabies."

"Of course she would mention grandchildren," Azula murmured in Katara's ear. Katara leaned close to her. "She's going to be so excited."

Iroh laughed as he rose to his feet, though from the way the light caught his eyes, he was close to crying. "You are my daughter, Azula, in every way, as contrary as you can be sometimes. I am so proud of you for all that you've done and all that you've experienced and accomplished. A dragon," he said, glowing with pride. "You've brought the Fire Nation back to its roots, back to its true glory. Now fulfill yourself as you've fulfilled your country. Love your wife, love your family, and you'll achieve everything you've ever wanted in life. Katara, I'm so happy to call you 'daughter' now too."

Rakka lay behind their table. She must have sensed that she was the object of attention; she lifted her head, stretched, and flew to the eaves of the temple.

Though Zuko had already stood to make his toast, he watched Rakka for a long moment, possibly for emphasis. After that quiet pause, he turned back to Azula and Katara. "First I have to give you both Mai and my congratulations. We all knew this would happen, that it was just as matter of time. Both for you, Azula, to become Fire Lord and for you and Katara to finally get married. Thank you, and congratulations. I know I can't top your gift at my wedding, little sister, but then again, you are an overachiever. Fireworks seem like a great thing to put on the docket; that is, if your dragon doesn't decide to eat them."

Azula smiled and raised her glass to him in appreciation. Zuko lifted his hands and clapped, and the entire assembled broke into applause. At that moment, a whistle and shriek broke the air, and the firework display commenced.

There was a great deal more feasting and talking to be done, but it passed much more quickly than at Zuko's wedding. There was no threat dangling over this event, other than the insignificant, abstract concern about being Fire Lady. Katara chose instead to revel in Azula's hand in hers, on their shared night and the pleasure of finally, finally being Azula's official wife in the Fire Nation. Katara could forget about what else being wife entailed tonight and concentrate on their union and legitimacy and Azula's glowing pleasure.

"I love you," she told Azula softly.

Azula smiled at her, looked her up and down, and said, "That's a sharp outfit, Katara."

It was maybe the most romantic thing Azula had ever said to her. Katara laughed and drew her close for a soft kiss. "You, Fire Lord, are a doofus."

"I am," Azula admitted. "And I love you."

By the time they returned home, it was well after midnight. Ana, who had only attended the first part of the ceremony, was in bed asleep. She murmured sleepily as Katara kissed her cheek but didn't wake up. The apartment was quiet and gently lit, and the servants all greeted them at the door with deep bows and quiet murmurs of congratulations.

"Everyone supped?" Azula asked as Kota began the arduous task of undressing them.

"Yes, Fire Lord," Kota responded. "And drank."

It was her wedding night, and all Katara wanted to do was get out of this costume, collapse in bed, and sleep for a week. It took nearly half an hour for Kota and Miza to strip them of their makeup and clothing and hairstyle. Katara almost wanted to ask Azula, "Do you _really_ want to have sex?"

When they were finally alone, Katara readjusted her sleeping robe, then just shucked it. She'd been hot all day, and the silk sheets would be wonderful on her naked skin. She lifted her head to see if Azula was watching her to gauge Azula's sexual interest and paused.

Azula was breathing deeply, her mouth half-open, her eyes closed. She must have fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Katara shrugged to the empty room and crawled into bed next to her wife. She was asleep only a moment later.

* * *

Instead of an informal marriage ceremony in the style of Zuko and Mai, they simply had a little party a few days later. "We've already had two marriages," Azula had pointed out. "Let's just give everyone a party so they can drink and eat without veiling it as a marriage."

"Fair enough."

"Also, it'll double as my brother's birthday celebration. We'll be going to the theater after."

"Also fair enough," Katara had responded. "What play?"

"A one-time show put on in honor of Zuko. Something dramatic and annoying, likely."

The children were in bed, and the adults all congregated in Ursa's garden, which was set up with floating lights and scented candles. Servants milled around with food and beverages, and everyone either stood or found a seat and talked about life. The games thus far had been ignored, despite Sokka loudly challenging Azula to a ring toss.

Katara had turned away from Azula's conversation with Zuko—a boring work thing—when she heard Azula sharply exclaim, "Take it away."

A waiter hurried by, looking frightened, and Zuko told Azula, "I thought you liked shrimp dumplings."

Azula rolled her eyes. Katara turned fully towards her wife when she realized what Azula was going to say. Katara opened her mouth to interject, but Azula was oblivious with both her words and tone. "Yes, well, I can tell you whoever coined the term 'morning sickness' never actually experienced it. I can smell fish at any time during the day and—"

Glass shattered. Someone screamed. Silence immediately dropped. On the roof across the way, Rakka lifted her head in alarm, and at least ten Dai Li were immediately in reach. The look of absolute shock on Azula's face would have been hilarious if Katara wasn't about to kill her. They all turned to stare at Ursa, who was standing just a few steps away. Ursa flapped her hands—apparently she'd dropped her glass and a staff member rushed forward to clean it up—and she screamed, "A _baby!_ You're _pregnant_! You're going to give me another _grandbaby_!"

Then Ursa nearly collapsed on Azula. Azula finally saw Katara, and Katara hoped her expression communicated her extreme displeasure with this situation. Then Ursa caught sight of her too and flapped a dramatic arm. Katara hesitantly approached, and she was yanked into an uncomfortable Ursa-weeping-hug with Azula.

Azula had gathered herself by now and looked at Zuko. "Close your mouth."

It was true: Zuko's mouth was still open in shock. His eyes flickered from Azula to Ursa to Katara to his wife. "Did I just hear that?" he asked Mai.

"Since your mother was standing right next to me, I don't think I'll ever hear out of my right ear again. She never got this excited about my pregnancies." It was kind of funny to hear Mai say that when she was so heavy with her third pregnancy.

"A baby!" Ursa gasped, bringing the conversation back again.

"Yes," Azula said dryly. "A baby. Which is basically morning sickness and heartburn at this point."

"You know, your firstborn son turned thirty today," Zuko said. Ursa hushed him and gasped, "A _baby_!"

At least Azula gave Zuko an apologetic look. Of course she completely overshadowed his birthday with that slip up. He didn't seem to take it personally.

"Pregnant," Katara heard Suki say sourly. Suki turned her sharp gaze from Sokka to Katara. But then she sighed and seemed to release all that irritation.

"Katara, if I may." Iroh stood beside her, and Katara followed him farther into the little garden. It was darker out here, but they both turned back to the garden to watch the little party. Azula smiled fiercely at something Ursa said, and Zuko laughed next to her.

"I'd wondered," Iroh said quietly. "And this is what you want?"

"Yes, very much so." Katara took Iroh's hands in hers and they shared a smile. "Sokka helped us."

He raised his white brows, his smile turned inward. "Ursa guessed back then what you were up to. She's quite pleased."

"Are you?"

His eyes shimmered, and he swallowed and smiled. "I never imagined I would be in this situation after Lu Ten was taken from me. I'm…" He took another long breath and his voice broke. "I'm so very happy."

Katara pulled him close for a hug, and Iroh patted her back. "Thank you for humoring this old man. Go back to your party and enjoy yourself."

Katara didn't realize her father had drawn away until she noticed Azula standing next to him by the fountain a few steps off the path. They seemed to be talking, but a moment later, Azula was back in the mix, and Hakoda remained where he was, his arms crossed.

"Dad?" Katara asked him cautiously as she stepped beside him.

He wiped his face and turned to her. Tears shone in his eyes. "Sokka?" he said quietly.

She realized what his fears had been. "Yes. Sokka."

"Her child could sit on the Fire Nation throne."

"Our child," Katara said gently.

"A child with Water Tribe blood could sit on the throne someday," he said in wonder, shaking his head. "My grandchild. She chose that?"

"She told me she wanted to have a baby with me."

He reached out and pulled Katara close. She took a deep breath and released what little tension she was carrying around. "Congratulations," he said quietly. He cleared his throat. "Are you going to come back home?"

She nodded. "I forgot to tell you. We're coming back in about a month. Azula and I are going to take a short honeymoon on Ember Island, and then we're headed home in time for the squid squat."

The look of surprise on her father's face made her realize she hadn't discussed those plans with him either. "That's why she and Zuko are sharing the throne; they'll both have time off to leave the Fire Nation."

"She really loves you," Hakoda said quietly. He grinned and tried to cover that look with his hand. His eyes still shimmered with tears. "She said she wouldn't make you choose."

"Choose what?"

"Between your home and her. She told me back before you left," he said. "She told me she knew how important home was to you."

Katara touched his arm, and he took a deep breath. "Huh," he said, as if surprised all over again. "I'll be damned. You may have a keeper on your hands, little girl."

* * *

Katara caught Azula's arm when they settled into the carriage. She pinned Azula with a sharp look. Admittedly, it was more exasperation than anger at this point. "I thought we agreed not to say anything until you started showing."

"I only wanted to see Zuko's jaw drop. I didn't realize my mother as standing close enough to hear. And quite frankly, with the size of my breasts now, I think I am showing."

"It doesn't really work that way. But you're going to explain everything to her."

Azula's look soured. "That will be a fun conversation."

"Apparently she's already guessed."

"How do you know this?"

"Iroh. You should talk to him."

Azula's glance turned towards the curtains. Her full lips pursed prissily, somehow communicating irritation and haughtiness in one. "I called him Father yesterday. He cried. And then I felt like crying too. It was supremely embarrassing."

"I'm sure he was very happy."

After a few minutes of shared silence, Azula asked, "Why did I ever think that was a good idea?"

"What?" Katara asked her.

"Pregnancy, coronation, marriage, and Zuko's birthday all at once, all while searing out a dual Fire Lord rule that has never been attempted before."

"Not to mention Ana."

"She's a good complication," Azula said quietly.

It warmed Katara so much to hear her say that. That little one was supposed to be asleep with her cousins on a sleepover while the adults were out to the theater. The chances were high that Ana had snuck outside to feel the rain on her face, probably scaring the piss out of the servants in the process. It wasn't odd that any Water Triber would be fascinated by the warm precipitation in the Fire Nation.

When they arrived, their group drew stares from the people gathered in the reception area of the theater. Azula and Zuko were as informal as they got: no hairpieces. Bows still swept across the room at the sight of them. One theater employee rushed forward to help Mai. She glowered the man when he suggested they could use their pulley elevator to take her to the balcony.

"Do I look like I can't walk?" Mai asked him.

His mouth opened. Snidely, Azula said, "Yes. You waddle."

"You just wait," Mai pronounced with her usual glower. Katara held back her groan; she didn't know the nobles like Azula did, but Mai had probably just sparked hundreds of rumors on purpose with that statement. Mai proceeded to waddle her way upstairs and led them to their seats.

They got the entire royal balcony. The seats were soft and comfortable, and every manner of refreshment and food was available. Katara took her seat with Azula on her left and Aang on her right. Once upon a time, this would have been volatile, but it was just comfortable now, especially with her favorite vintage was supplied by a theater employee. How had they known?

Aang turned to his other side to chat with Toph, who put her dirty feet up on the balcony ledge. Katara draped an arm over Azula's side and rubbed her thumb gently across Azula's belly. Just a hint, but she felt their baby there beneath Azula's flesh and blood. Azula touched her hand and met her eyes; a look passed between them.

Zuko interrupted that moment when he leaned forward. "What play is it?"

Azula pulled her eyes from Katara to glance at her brother. "This is a gift for you, of course. It's your favorite play."

"Love amongst the Dragons?" he asked hopefully.

Azula's sneering smile boded another answer. Mai heaved a longsuffering sigh. "Zuko, you're talking to your sister. By 'favorite' she means you hate it."

Katara stopped her caress as she considered that statement. Of all the… No. No, Azula had not.

At that moment, an old man lumbered slowly onto the stage, causing the audience to hush. He cleared his throat and spoke with a reedy, nervous voice. "Many years ago, I wrote a play based upon the last year of the Hundred Year War. At the time, I projected what would happen. I was wrong. Recently, Fire Lord Azula contacted me to rewrite the ending of my play based upon real events to commemorate Fire Lord Zuko's thirtieth birthday."

"He actually wrote a lovely drama," Azula murmured in her ear. "I had to bring him back on path."

Pu-on Tim bowed. "I present to you, newly remastered, 'The Boy in the Iceberg'."

As the rest of the theater—which was packed for the mystery play—broke into applause, the entire balcony erupted into groans. The only person stupid enough to be pleased was Toph. She punched Aang in the shoulder in delight. "Pass that on to the best Fire Nation Fire Lord ever!"

Aang was too busy rubbing his arm so Katara passed the punch along onto Azula's shoulder. Azula turned an outraged stare to her. "You just struck your pregnant wife!"

Katara raised her fist again in mock rage, but the play started before she could speak. The curtain rose to show a buxom actress and a reedy man with buck teeth on a paper boat. The actress sighed dramatically. "Sokka, my only brother! We constantly roam these icy South Pole seas, and yet never do we find anything fulfilling!"

The actor frowned. "All I want is a full feeling in my stomach! I'm starving!"

Sokka lurched forward over Katara's shoulder, pointing at the actors. "That's the same guy!"

"No," Katara groaned. "You got all the same actors, didn't you?!"

Azula smiled smugly and settled back into her seat to watch. Aang practically shrank into his seat when his actor appeared. She'd gained a weight since her first role, but it was her. Azula's actress remained the same too, though her voice was ruined by smoking. Even Iroh's actor was the same. (Iroh, for his part, laughed at the sight of the man on stage talking about cake.)

It was horrible, as horrible as it had been during the war. Worse even for the age of all the current actors. Azula hadn't cut any corners for this production. Some of the middle scenes were cut for time—likely to make up for the lengthened ending, which Katara dreaded. Some of the more horrid lines remained including:

"You caught me. Wait, what's that?" Azula's actress pointed. "I think it's your honor!"

Azula's chair thunked when Zuko kicked it, and Azula only laughed.

Toph was delighted when her actor came on stage. She nodded her head when he managed to shriek at an impossible volume. Apparently he'd been working at that over the years; it was even worse than the first run.

"That was worse than I imagined," Azula murmured to Katara.

"I told you it was horrible!" Katara hissed.

When Zuko and Katara on stage embraced, Zuko made a noise that suggested Mai just pinched him. "That didn't even happen!" he hissed, gesturing at the stage in exasperation.

"Oh no," Mai groaned at the sight of herself. Ty Lee, however, gasped in delight. "I'm in it!" she told her young, surprisingly pretty girlfriend. "I'm in a play! I'm famous!"

"I think you're famous for more than just a play," her girlfriend replied quietly.

During their first intermission, everyone remained seated, and a lot more alcohol was requested than at the start of the night. Groans and complaints turned to more good-natured predictions of how the play would end.

"Tell me really," Katara asked Azula. "Did you honestly make him rewrite his play so it would be even worse?"

"Really, he presented a historically accurate, cleverly written drama about key events during the war. I told him to burn it and bring me back the trash he'd written prior."

"I'm sure that made him a fan."

"It produced this," Azula announced with a flamboyant wave.

"You owe me," Zuko told his sister. "I don't know what or when, but I'm going to collect one of these days."

After the intermission, some of the scenes remained the same. Then they reached the three big showdowns:

The Fire Nation fleet was destroyed in part because Sokka was so overcome by hunger than he ate an airship. Toph shrieked one out of the sky, and Suki used her fan to somehow guide one airship into another.

Then came the dramatic fight between Aang and Ozai. It was a dramatic…tickle fight. Wherever Ozai's spirit might be, Katara hoped he was witnessing this, knowing this was what his legacy amounted to. _You're a comic relief, you bastard._

The last bit was a bizarre three-sided fight between Azula, Zuko, and Katara. It ended by Katara breast-checking Azula and wrapping a chain around her. It made Katara uncomfortable, and she wondered if Azula remembered the desperation of that fight and her devastation after.

The Azula on stage began to cry. "This life is hopeless!"

Katara reached out and yanked Azula to her generous bosom—the same one she'd used to knock her down earlier. "Nothing is hopeless!" she gasped breathlessly. "There is always hope. Always!"

"But I have lost everything to my brother!"

"Maybe you've won something after all!" Katara smiled. Abruptly, she kissed Azula and then pulled her back into her breasts.

"My heart!" Zuko cried on stage. He flopped over and held his chest in one hand.

Katara found herself laughing into her hand, considering that Azula's actress was probably suffocating in the other actress's generous breasts. Zuko kicked the back of Azula's chair again. "Now everyone thinks you stole my girlfriend!"

All in all, it was about as horrible as it had been before. But the crowd ate it up, and they all left the theater in good spirits. It had been a good choice for the evening—nostalgia that sparked a lot of 'do you remembers' and 'I can't believe we did that'. Katara was content to hold Azula's hand and contemplate how far they'd come.

"Do you regret it?" she asked, just to hear the answer.

"Not at all. It led me here, to you." Azula kissed her hand and smiled. "Fire Lady Katara…"

"Yes, Fire Lord Azula?"

"Are you happy?"

"Yes," Katara said, earnestly honest. "Yes, I am. I can't wait to see tomorrow with you."

"That's all I could ever ask."


	8. Epilogue:  Family

"My mother told me I look like a melon on an arrow today."

Katara held her laugh in admirably. She supposed the Fire Nation as a whole would be surprised by Azula's pregnancy. She left for the South Pole barely showing and came back at eight months pregnant. Azula's slender frame looked overloaded with her pregnancy so far along, while the rest of her held hardly any extra flesh.

"I know you're worried about getting back into shape, but it will probably take you just a few months to trim up again."

"I just want to be able to see my feet again," Azula responded as she tried to look over her belly to judge her shoes.

"You're happy."

"How are we going to raise a boy anyway?" Azula asked her.

"Just like we're raising Ana. Bumbling along."

The carriage rocked and slowed. Katara helped Azula out of the high step despite Azula's sneer. Three women in elaborate robes waited for them in the courtyard of the Royal Academy of Girls. They all bowed low. Katara was beginning to get used to that.

"Fire Lord, Fire Lady. What an honor."

"Hello Lady Fan," Azula responded. "Are you still teaching history?"

The eldermost woman smiled and lowered her head again in a bow. "I'm still aspiring to your dedication to the subject, Fire Lord. I have certainly never had as dedicated a student as you. Please, come see how the school has improved. Fire Lady, have you seen our school?"

"No, Lady Fan."

"Come along," Azula said with mild impatience. "I have an appointment at the third hour this afternoon."

Lady Fan, who had been about to say something else, nodded. "Of course."

Their tour took them through the airy library, open classrooms, sparring arena, musical room, and even to an area preserved for brewing tea and performing tea ceremonies. The school was filled with girls from four to sixteen years old. Their curious looks were largely veiled; they seemed to be on their best behavior.

"Have you added the tea ceremony for suicide?" Azula wanted to know, looking around the tea brewing room.

One of the other teachers, Lady Lai, stared at Azula in a moment of undisguised shock. A few girls turned to stare too before everyone thought to collect themselves.

"She's joking," Katara stated dryly.

"I wasn't," Azula snipped. She sounded annoyingly like Ursa. "It's a traditional ceremony."

"When was the last ceremonial suicide conducted in this country?"

Azula pursued her full lips. "Twelve years. It's tradition," she repeated.

"Not for little girls who aren't you. I don't even want to have to explain that to Ana."

"Fine." Azula turned to Lady Fan. "What sciences do you have on your class list?"

"Mathematics and geology are in our core. We offer financing, literature, and history of both world and Fire Nation."

"Physics?" Katara asked.

"Ah, yes. I suppose Lady Laza has mentioned it to you. Yai will be glad to take on a student as enthusiastic and talented as Lady Laza."

Azula's undisguised surprise made Katara giggle. "Lady Laza does love her physics. She talked circles around me about it one time."

"Laza?" Azula clarified. "Our Laza?"

"Laza daughter of Tazu," Lady Fan confirmed.

"Little sneak," Azula muttered. Their tour continued uneventfully. As they approached the courtyard to leave, Azula stopped abruptly. It was so her to just stop walking and command attention by her lack of movement. "Lady Fan, while I'm pleased to see a more educational curriculum is in place, I am here mainly to ask you if my daughter, Ana, will be respected here as a Fire Nation princess. By instructors and students."

"Princess Ana is a Fire Nation Princess, Fire Lord. Disrespect is not tolerated from any girl." Fan's smile was a ghost on her lips. "Even you, Princess."

Azula regarded the woman and nodded before turning away. Katara nodded her head a bit lower, barely aborting her her now-inappropriate bow. "Thank you for opening your school for us."

"It's an honor to us, Fire Lady. If you have further questions or would like to see more of our school, please contact us. We are here at your disposal."

In the carriage, Azula was content to keep her opinions to herself. "What do you think?" Katara finally prompted.

After a moment of considering her words, Azula supplied her answer. "It's not a bad school. And despite my own failures at it, it will be good for Ana to deal with other little girls socially and to obey other teachers than her tutor at the palace. We would have to supplement her lessons, of course. Their teachings in science are still deficient and Fire Nation history is passable at best—and world history laughable." Azula glanced at her. "If you're comfortable sending her there."

"We can see how it goes. If it doesn't work out, we'll find something else."

Azula nodded, probably surprised by the thought of not having to get it right the first time around. "Yes. I suppose so."

* * *

That night in bed, Katara draped an arm over Azula's side. Azula couldn't sleep on her back anymore because of the pressure the baby put on her abdomen. Ana had taken to talking to Azula's belly when she saw the baby move. She whispered to the baby now, murmurs that made Azula soften and stroke her fingers through Ana's hair. Ana had asked more than once what the boy's name was. "I know you think it's bad luck, but we should talk about names."

Azula took a long breath. "You know Iroh had a son."

"You and Zuko have talked about him." Katara found Azula's hand, and they threaded their fingers together.

"He died during the siege of Ba Sing Se. At the end of it, in fact."

"How?"

"A stray arrow. It wasn't even during a battle." Azula was silent for a long moment as she considered that, and Katara imagined the shame and anger that Azula attached to that death. Azula would probably think he deserved a better death. "Lu Ten was a…" She paused. "He was always kind to me."

Katara realized where this was going. She reached out to gently rub Azula's rounded belly. "You want to name our son after him?"

"Is it considered an ill omen in the South?"

"No. We like to do it. A long time ago we used to think the spirit of the dead would find their new life in the so named baby, but it's just a custom to honor our ancestors now. I was hoping… If we had a girl…"

"We would name her after your mother, of course."

Katara had to kiss Azula for that. "Lu Ten is a good name." She paused, breathing in the spicy scent of Azula's hair. "Who was Tozin named after?"

"It sounds nothing like Sozin," Azula muttered.

"Sure it doesn't."

"The graphemes are far different. Mai had a grandfather named Tozin. He was well-respected by everyone who knew him, and he was perhaps the only person in the family that Mai actually liked. It's also the name of a man in a legend that Zuko's fond of."

"What's the legend?"

Azula turned to meet Katara's eyes with some humor in her own. "About honor, naturally. A family had two sons. The first inherited the family title and money. The second son, Tozin, enlisted and worked from the lowest rank in the navy to become the general for a massive victory over an attacking army. He returned home from his years at war to find his brother had squandered the family name and money and had cast his honored parents out of the household. Tozin challenged his brother to Agni Kai, killed him, and restored the honor to his family name."

Of course the siblings killed each other; it was a Fire Nation legend. "Tell me something: is there any legend of the Fire Nation that doesn't involve siblings murdering each other?"

Azula considered that for a long moment. "Well, there was Olana and her brother—"

"Or incest."

"No."

"You and Zuko really are the first to share the throne, aren't you?"

"Overtly," Azula qualified. "The number two suggests imbalance and unease. Equality between two is so difficult—impossible some would argue—to achieve. So a great many people are still nervous about how we'll manage to do this without destroying each other or the Fire Nation."

"It's a new age."

"Yes. A new age."

"Who will take the throne after you two?"

"Tozin is the eldest and most likely, but Zuko and I are working that out. If the current trend continues, we'll have to beg any one of our children to take the throne from us. Little infant Izumi is as likely as any other of our children."

Katara laughed and tugged Azula's hand. "You're going to retire. You know that right?"

"Yes, yes."

* * *

There was a letter on the vanity in their closet the next night. Katara glanced back at the opening to their room, but she could only see Azula's bare feet on the bed. Azula's distinctive script spelled out Katara's name, and it was dated several months prior—they might have been honeymooning at the time. She paused to crack the wax off of the letter. Surely this was left for her to read, but it's purpose was difficult to guess from someone as pragmatic as her wife.

_Katara,_

_As I write, I remember the feel of you inside me—your tongue in my mouth and your touch drawing my pleasure out. I made a mess when I came, and you cleaned me with your mouth, then let me taste myself on your lips. You murmured in my ear about all the ways we should be together:  messy, gentle, harsh, loving, restrained, private, public…_

_I want you still though you're asleep. I could burrow into the sheets and taste you, make you dream of me until you wake to find me between your legs, moving against you. You will pull on my hair and groan, ask me to touch you everywhere, kiss you everywhere. When we finish, we will restart once more._

_I want you again. I think I will wake you. Wherever you are now, come find me so that I can taste and pleasure. If I'm not there, touch yourself and think of me._

_Desperately,  
Azula_

Katara walked out of the closet, flushed with arousal, her pulse high. She waved the letter at her wife, who sat in bed. "You tease!"

"No, not teasing. Come here," Azula commanded with sharp sensuality. Katara shivered as she stripped from her clothes and settled in Azula's lap. Azula's gaze left no doubt to her intentions, and her hands squeezed Katara's backside firmly.

"Is the door locked?" Katara managed to ask, already a shaking mess and close to not caring about privacy from staff.

"Yes." Azula's wicked fingers massaged her, then gently pressed inside. Katara rocked on them, thinking of those words, thinking of when she would be able to touch Azula like this again. She yanked Azula's robes open and squeezed one of her breasts. Azula grunted and cupped Katara's hips, dragging her closer.

Her belly was definitely in the way, but it didn't matter too much, especially not when Azula told her to turn over.

Azula massaged her back, then reached between her legs. "Relax. Take your time."

Katara gulped and took deep breaths, gasping on and off, nearly in meditation with Azula's touches. Her orgasm built in waves, especially with Azula easing off when she was close. Finally, Katara built into a moaning mess, lifting herself up and rocking frantically against Azula's touch. When she shuddered and came, Azula worked her through a second orgasm almost immediately after the first. She lay gasping with her legs opened while Azula's fingers played with her gently. She rarely came more than once, and there wasn't another in her. Katara rolled over to watch Azula lick her own fingers clean.

"Enjoy this," Azula said dryly. She softened and offered a rueful smile. "I know it's been a while."

"That was worth waiting for," Katara mumbled, sinfully relaxed. "I wish I could return the favor."

"I bet you do," Azula responded, pulling a face to suggest that was the last thing she wanted in that moment. "I love you, and that was lovely. But it may be awhile before we do that again."

"That's alright." Katara sighed and decided to sleep in her current position. She murmured as Azula stretched out next to her.

* * *

Katara had twenty students in her new waterbending school with fifty on the waiting list. She'd ended up with first-come-first-serve enrollment, despite the money practically thrown at her for openings from wealthier families from the North. She had one student that had traveled all the way from Ba Sing Se. Azula told her to consider taking a few of the wealthier offers on, but Katara couldn't in good faith bump a student out for money alone. ("Consider the endorsement," Azula suggested but hadn't pressed more.)

She had a lot of ideas about how to give lessons and what to teach. The things that did or didn't work sometimes surprised her, but she'd known all along it would be an experiment.

She was deep into a lesson—soaked from sweat and water from instruction in the humid afternoon—when a messenger rushed through the water and ice without a thought to his own safety. He caught Katara by the arm and leaned close to deliver his whispered message.

Katara ran past him and out the courtyard, missing her students' murmurs of shock and that her assistant instructor, Harraq, shouted, "Just a moment. Everyone drink some water, and we'll get started on the next exercise."

The palace loomed large within a few minutes, and Katara leapt out of the carriage before it even slowed. She was running upstairs, hardly noticing that all the staff seemed similarly rushed. She burst into the medical office and back into the stillness of the birthing chamber, where Azula surveyed her incredulously where she sat holding a glass of water.

"I would think you of all people would realize you didn't need to rush here." Her tone was annoyingly dry.

"How are you?" Katara leaned close to kiss Azula, who pulled away with her mouth twisted in disgust. She put a hand on Katara's shoulder and pushed. "Go bathe and then come back. You stink."

"Of course you're fine," Katara muttered. She glanced at Kota, who nodded reassuringly.

Five minutes later, Katara returned to be received more amicably by her wife. She even got a kiss and a squeeze to her arm. When Katara was settled in the chair beside her, Azula said, "I'm apparently fairly dilated. My contractions are five minutes apart, and I'm beginning to dislike this experience a great deal."

Katara washed her hands again and reached inside Azula to confirm she was nearly full dilated. She felt the baby's head close to Azula's cervix. She was farther along than expected.

"I never want you to do that to me again," Azula said with a horrified expression as Katara withdrew her hand.

"Sorry, habit." She got up and washed her hands once again.

"Not with _me_ ," Azula responded. "That was entirely too impersonal."

Now that Katara calmed enough to notice, she saw her wife had broken some blood vessels on her cheeks, and her hair was limp from sweat. She looked tired. The next contraction confirmed that. Azula bared her teeth and groaned, shifting restlessly, trying to take deep breaths and rocking forward in her pain.

"Do you feel like you need to push?"

"I don't know!" Azula snarled. And thus the waiting game between contractions began. Katara had never felt her patients' pain as keenly as she felt Azula's. Azula shoved her away at her offer to hold her or massage her. She was solely focused on her labor, and Katara felt helpless. Later she realized it would help her become a better midwife to be on this side of the situation, but right then, it was agonizing.

Finally, Azula accepted her hand if only to squeeze as she pushed. She gasped and snarled at the doctors who told her to wait after the baby crowned. Katara looked in a mirror provided by one of the medical staff to see their son's head—with a thick cap of black hair—in Azula's vaginal canal before Azula snarled, "Take that away!"

It only took one more contraction before the little boy was delivered into the world. Katara took her hand from Azula, pretty sure something had been sprained during that last squeeze, and she watched with bated breath as her son shifted and raised one arm, then took a deep breath as the cord was tied off and cut.

Joy. Pure joy and awe...and they had a new baby boy. Their son. Katara hovered as he was bathed, her heart pounding and tears blurring her vision. Two arms, two legs, two ears, two eyes, ten fingers, ten toes, a beautiful wrinkled face… He was beautiful and dark skinned with thick black hair and dark blue eyes.

He gave one quiet newborn cry during the whole process. Azula watched his every move through the birthing room like a hawk, then she took him onto her breast, cradling him close. Katara didn't have to tell her to offer her bare skin; she pushed her tunic aside and settled him against her skin. His mouth found her, and he suckled. Azula looked at him with wide eyes. She stroked his cheek and touched his hair ever so gently.

Azula turned those wide eyes to Katara, and they both abruptly grinned at each other like idiots with tears in their eyes.

"Hello, Lu Ten," Azula told her son softly. She looked to Katara for confirmation. "He has blue eyes."

"All babies have blue eyes," Katara responded softly. She sat carefully beside Azula, and they both studied him in awed joy.

"He's perfect," Azula murmured. And then she continued, "With pimples and a cone head."

"You're so unromantic," Katara retorted softly. "Good job, Momma."

"We have a baby," Azula said as if in shock. "We did this together." Abruptly, she turned a glare to Katara, who was surprised to see that sharp expression so immediately after her soft happiness. "Don't even think of asking me if I want to do this again."

Katara laughed. She knew better than to ask for something she wanted when Azula would say 'no'. "I think we'll have our hands full. Can Ana visit?"

"I want to be cleaned up and go back to my own bed." Azula abruptly winced and began to push again. The afterbirth was delivered intact, and Azula accepted the help of the staff to clean her up and redress her. Katara gently took Lu Ten from Azula to carry him out to show the royal family, all gathered outside the medical offices. A few minutes later, Azula was carried out by staff, and the whole throng of them marched upstairs to Azula's apartment.

After that wonderful task, Ana was fetched from lessons. She walked back into the bedroom with her hand tucked in Katara's. She brightened and reached out to Azula. "Momma!"

"Hello, my dear. Did you meet your brother?"

Ana looked back at Lu Ten dubiously. "He's squishy looking."

Azula laughed. "You were too when you were his age." Katara gently settled Lu Ten against Azula's chest, and Azula allowed Ana to climb up on the bed with her. A giant dragon head nuzzled the curtains aside. Perhaps Azula had called her dragon. Rakka snuffed at the edge of the bed with her body half in the apartment. The great dragon sighed happily. Katara glanced at her family all settled there and climbed up too.

Just a treasured moment of quiet shared between them before time would start moving again, faster than Katara wanted it to go. Just one more step on their journey together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Not as high quality as I like, but I'm glad to finish the little story. Thanks again!

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a quiet little thing, more slice of life than actual plot. Katara POV—harder to put on than Azula, I have to say. Not sure what that says about me. Around 35k words total right now. Who knows what the editing process will add? Hoping to upload chapters one week at a time because I usually spend so much time/effort editing. Also on ff.net


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